BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The majority of Chinese top swimmers, headed by Sun Yang and Fu Yuanhui, withdraw from Budapest and Indianapolis stops of FINA Champions Swim Series 2019.
FINA updated the athletes list for the Series on its official website on Friday.
Currently in the Budapest leg, former world champions Xu Jiayu will still compete in men's 100m backstroke and 200m backstroke; Wang Shun, men's 200m individual medlay; Li Bingjie, women's 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle; and Wang Jianjiahe, women's 400m freestyle. In the men's 400m freestyle, Sun Yang's name is replaced by "tbc" (to be confirmed).
In the Indianapolis leg, there is not a single Chinese swimmer.
Budapest stop, the second leg competitions, will take place on May 11-12. Indianapolis of the United States will round off the series from May 31 to June 1. As the tournaments approach, Chinese swimmers' withdrawal could not be more evident.
One possible reason may be that the top swimmers are preparing for the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. They have competed at home in Guangdong leg. However, participating in Budapest and Indianapolis stops would conflict their training schedule.
Such is normal for Sun Yang in recent years. He has not ever taken part in more than two competitions before the World Championships or the Olympic Games in a year. An additional Guangdong stop has been too much for him. It is also the same with Fu Yuanhui.
