Swimming: Call for life bans on two Chinese

AUSTRALIA'S HEAD swimming coach, Don Talbot, yesterday criticised the three-year bans given to two Chinese swimmers who failed drug tests for the second time, saying they should have been banned for life.

Two swimmers, Wang Wei and Xiong Guoming, have both been suspended for three years after testing positive for the banned steroid clenbuterol, the sport's world governing body, Fina, announced on Monday.

In addition, the pair have been disqualified from all competitions they participated in since 8 March this year. Xiong was one of seven Chinese swimmers banned for doping after the 1994 Asian Games.

"The thing that really angers me is that this is their second go and they've not been banned for life," Talbot said. "Not only that, and even worse in my opinion, they were tested in March and the results are only now coming out.

"It is not good enough. I believe they could get [results] out within three or four days if they wanted to."