Chinese swimmers get two year bans for doping

Five Chinese swimmers received two year bans yesterday after testing positive for the anabolic steroid clenbuterol at a national competition last June. According to the AP the athletes' coaches also received one to two year bans.

Clenbuterol, usually used as an asthma medication (usually for horses), has gained popularity in the sports world as a slimming drug. Allegedly, it has been previously introduced into training regimens as a weight loss aid. We're guessing that's what these swimmers were using it for.

The five swimmers, Qu Jing, Liu Bingyao, Zuo Ziqiao, Fu Bo and Hu Shaozhi do not appear anywhere on the NBC Olympics Rosters for the Bejing Olympics, but may have been hopefuls for the London 2012 Games.

Chinese swimmers have had some history of doping scandals, so we're glad the Chinese Swimming Association is taking steps to root out the use of performance enhancing drug. Hopefully aspiring athletes in China get the message one day, that it just isn't worth it to cheat.

Sadly, in the U.S., higher profile athletes using much more dangerous drugs still going unpunished.

And since this is about swimming and doping, we can't go without a mention of our favorite merman, who doped in a way that was kind of like giving the other guys more of a chance.