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Chinese swimmers banned for doping

Chinese swimmers Wang Wei and Xiong Guoming have each been suspended for three years after testing positive for the banned drug clenbuterol, the world governing body Fina announced.

It was their second doping offence committed under Fina rules, a statement said yesterday.

The Fina statement said Wang's suspension would not begin until April 13, 2000, because he was currently serving a two-year suspension imposed last year for an earlier offence.

Xiong's ban would begin immediately because his previous suspension ran from 1994 to 1996.

In addition, the pair have been disqualified from all competitions they took part in since March 8 this year.

Earlier on Monday, Fina announced that long distance swimmers David Meca Medina of Spain and Igor Majecen of Slovenia had been banned from competition for four years after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone.

Nandrolone has been implicated in a number of positive drugs tests over a range of sports in the past two years, including Britain's former Olympic 100 metres champion Linford Christie, Czech tennis player Petr Korda and France's World Cup striker Christophe Dugarry.

Medina and Majcen tested positive at the marathon swimming World Cup in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, on January 31 this year.

They had both competed in the 25 kms event.

In a statement, Fina said two divers had also been suspended. Russian Yulia Pakhalina was suspended for two months after testing positive for caffeine and American Tracy Bonner has been suspended for one year after a positive test for the stimulant dextroamphetamine.

UNI