Photo by Cai Yang / China Daily

6. Liao banned for doping

Chinese weightlifter Liao Hui, who claimed the gold medal in the men's +69 kilogram event at the Beijing Olympics and broke two world records at the 2010 Turkey World Weightlifting Championship, was banned for four years by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in November after failing a doping test.

The 24-year-old will be suspended until Sept 30, 2014, which means he will miss the London Olympics next year. He was also stripped of his gold medals and world records at the 2010 Worlds.

Liao claimed his innocence in an announcement on Xinhua News Agency and Chinese Central Television, and has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

 

Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP

7. Skaters' ages disputed

According to a report in February, nine Chinese figure skaters may have violated age-limit rules.

The skaters include 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalists Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao (pictured), former world junior champion pair Sui Wenjing/ Han Cong, and singles skaters Geng Bingwa and Xu Binshu.

The reports found discrepancies when comparing a list of birth dates published on the website of Chinese Skating Association (CSA) against those listed on the athletes' International Skating Union (ISU) bios.

The CSA announced later the ages of Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao were correctly registered at international events and were above board, but the allegation tarnished the image of Chinese figure skating.