College drops penalties against Sun, citing swimmer's 'progress'

Penalties against star swimmer Sun Yang for driving without a driver's license in November have been discharged by his club, news portal sina.com reported on Wednesday.

The Zhejiang College of Sports announced on Wednesday that it has decided to scrap the penalties against the world-record holder and Olympic gold medalist. Penalties given to him by the college included a suspension of training and withholding of allowance.

The college said it made the decision after "Sun had recognized the mistake he has made and made progress in daily behaviors and thus met the requirement of discharging the ban".

It said it would also suggest the Chinese national swimming team give the green light to Sun's joining the team's training camp.

Sun was found driving without a driver's license following a traffic accident with a bus in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Nov 3, 2013.

In addition to penalties given by the college, the State General Administration of Sports also banned him temporarily from any business-related activities, the National team's training camp and joining any games.