China to probe doping violation at Rio Olympics

The Chinese Modern Pentathlon Association (CMPA) on Sunday said it respects the decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) concerning Chinese athlete Chen Qing.

CMPA announced that CAS had found Chen guilty of doping, annulling her result from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio where she finished fourth, but didn't name the banned drug that brought her down, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We will seriously deal with the doping incident involving Chen Qing and draw a lesson from it," said a CMPA statement.

"We will show no mercy in the punishment of those responsible," added the statement.

The CMPA admitted the incident has underlined a complicated and difficult situation facing anti-doping efforts in the field of Chinese modern pentathlon, and laid bare loopholes in the association's fight against doping.

"The CMPA must, and will reflect on its work, keep alarm bells ringing, strengthen anti-doping measures including education, management, scrutiny and punishment, and build a defence line that allows no blind spots, in order to effectively prevent, crack down and punish any doping offences," said the statement.

The Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) said on Sunday that it will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

The COC condemned Chen's doping offence which violated sports ethics and the Olympic spirit, saying they respect the CAS' decision and will punish those responsible for the offence.

--IANS

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