Sun Yang hearing lost in translation

Confusion reigns in Swiss courtroom

A judge in the high-profile anti-doping case involving Chinese Olympic swimmer Sun Yang has apologized for the translation services that rendered much of Sun's opening testimony unintelligible.

The case involving Sun Yang and the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, opened at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or CAS, in Montreux, Switzerland, on Friday morning, and was immediately thrown in to disarray due to the inept translation service on hand.

The court – which is often referred to as the Supreme Court for sports – is overseeing the case following an appeal from WADA regarding a drug test carried out on Sept 4, 2018.

Olympic gold medallist Sun could face a lifetime ban if the court rules in WADA's favor. The stakes are also high for anti-doping authorities and the wider sporting community, as the outcome of the case may influence future regulations regarding liability rules and the rights of athletes.

The hearing opened with testimony from Sun, who fielded questions from the three judges arbitrating the case, as well as from his own counsel and that of WADA. Sun spoke in Chinese, which was then translated into English by a simultaneous translator. Questions were delivered in English, and translated into Chinese for Sun.