Due to her adverse analytical finding in IOC reanalysis of the stored samples from 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in 2016, Liu Chunhong, a Chinese athlete, was disqualified of her result of the women's 69kg weightlifting at the Beijing Olympic Games. She then appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The result of the analysis of IOC reanalysis programs shows that although the reanalysis programs play a positive role in the protection of the clean athletes as well as the progress of the anti-doping campaign, there are several defects in terms of the application of the statute of limitations: an over-length time bar may increase the difficulty for athletes to adduce evidence and be adverse to the reliance interests of unspecified third parties. IOC does not keep consistent in the application of the statute of limitations to the reanalysis programs, and the less strict enforcement of the statute of limitations by the anti-doping organizations may cause the extension of limitation in disguised form. In addition, the Article 17 of World Anti-Doping Code is not explicit enough, and the conditions, which may cause the suspension, discontinuance and extension to the period of limitation, should be added to it through a comment, so as to safeguard both the pure sport and the rights of athletes. |