BEIJING, China, June 27. ACCORDING to a report by the Associated Press, the Chinese Swimming Association has banned Ouyang Kunpeng for life after a failed doping test. The association also gave the same punishment to Ouyang's coach Feng Shangbao.
According to a statement released by the organization, Ouyang tested positive on May 1 for an unreported substance.
Ouyang was the top backstroke threat for China heading into the 2008 Beijing Games, as he is the reigning 50-meter backstroke Asian-record holder with a 25.18 from 2005.
"The Chinese Swimming Association has made lots of effort on anti-doping, however this positive test case still happened," the statement said as reported by the Associated Press. "It's a big lesson, and we need to stay alert on anti-doping and pay constant attention. The Chinese Swimming Association strongly opposes doping and is cracking down on doping to guarantee a fair-play environment, to protect athletes' health and guarantee athletes are clean when competing in Olympics."
While the standard punishment for such failed tests is a two-year ban, China's harsh punishment is likely in response to previous issues with doping in the 1990s in conjunction with the pressure of being the host country this time around.
Full text of the Associated Press article.