As the world's best athletes gather in London to practice the Olympic spirit with their youth, sweat and passion, the double standards adopted by some organizations and media outlets has severely challenged fair play principles, says an article in the People's Daily. Excerpts:

After being stripped of the gold medal in the women's team sprint track cycling, China's cycling team appealed to the International Cycling Union and the International Olympic Committee, only to find rejection and an additional fine. But the cycling ruling body showed no concerns when a British cyclist admitted to have taken advantage of the rules and winning the medal by falling on purpose.

Also, an objective analysis of the events in the badminton court would find that the unreasonable competition system and overly harsh penalties have long met with wide criticism, and that it is unfair to only blame and disqualify Chinese players.

In addition, the deliberate suspicion on Ye Shiwen from a swimming coach and the media are merely out of ignorance and prejudice.

It's clear that the Chinese Olympic delegation has always stuck to the principles of respecting sports rules, fair play and firmly opposing doping. The double standards on penalties and referees' judgments are not only unconvincing, but also against sports' equality principles and justice and even the Olympic spirit of fair play.

The facts prove that exterior distractions won't stop the progress of China's sports. The extraordinary performance of Chinese athletes speaks for itself and made a great contribution to expand the Olympic spirit. Meanwhile, we call for a fairer and more equitable treatment for Chinese athletes.