Former Chinese athletic team doctor Xue Yinxian has claimed that all medals won by China in the 1990s, including those won at the expense of Sonia O’Sullivan, should be handed back due to a systemic doping programme.
O’Sullivan lost out on two World Championship gold medals in the '90s as middle-distance Chinese runners emerged on the scene and smashed the world record multiple times.
The Irish runner was forced into fourth place by the trio of Qu Yunxia, Zhang Linli and Zhang Lirong in the 3000m at the 1993 World Championship but did manage to claim silver in the 1500m – again behind a Chinese athlete
However, former team doctor Xue Yinxian cast major doubt on the legitimacy of those medals, insisting that all Chinese medals won in the 1980s and 1990s were "showered in doping".
Xue said in the interview that "In the 1980s and 90s, Chinese athletes on the national teams made extensive use of doping substances."
These claims echo those of former athlete Wang Junxia, who won the 5,000m gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, journalist Ian O'Riordan explained how Xue came to make these revelations.
"A former head of the Chinese sporting federation is currently seeking asylum in Germany, which is why the German television crew tracked her down," he said.
"Some of her statements are quiet compelling and damning about the extensive use of doping. I think she used term ‘all Chinese medals were showered in doping’ and should be handed back.
"That immediately brings back the memories of Sonia O’Sullivan in 1993, quite a notorious period in Irish Sport.
"We always had our doubts about the Chinese, that’s just being fair. There was evidence last year produced by an athlete who said she had used a lot of doping.
"In my mind it’s pretty compelling now that these medals are dirty and they should be stripped from the Chinese."
"Whether they are handed to Sonia at this stage is unclear, I think there’s a statute of limitation of about ten years when it comes to rehanding out medals.
"We’ve seen it before in sport and Sebastian Coe, the current head of World Athletics, is very strong on this so I think if there is some sort of gesture here I think it would be nice to see those two world titles finally go to Sonia O’Sullivan."
