China's Xi lauds Olympic team for 'morality and style' amid doping scrutiny

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday hailed the Chinese Olympic delegation for maintaining high standards of "morality, style and cleanliness" in their pursuit of gold metals at the Paris Olympics.

His comment come amid renewed scrutiny over doping issues involving Chinese swimmers and increased government efforts to address fan culture in sports after fans used social media to attack and spread rumours about the country's Olympians.

At the Great Hall of the People, Xi lauded the athletes for their achievements, exemplary discipline and manners.

"On the field, (Chinese Olympians) obeyed the rules, respected the opponents ... maintained good race discipline and civilized etiquette," Xi said in his meeting with the athletes.

The Chinese swim team has faced heightened scrutiny since revelations in April that 23 swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication in 2021 but were permitted to compete in the Tokyo Olympics that year.

Swimmer Pan Zhanle, who set a world record in the 100 metres freestyle, disclosed that he underwent 21 doping tests from May to July prior to the games.

China's anti-doping agency has hit back at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for what it calls "hypocritical double standards" and has urged the International Testing Agency to increase testing of U.S. track and field athletes.

China has increasingly focused on sports development, which Xi believes reflects the growing strength of the country itself.

Authorities have actively addressed disruptive and aggressive fan behaviours. In early August, Beijing police arrested a woman suspected of defaming a table tennis player and her coach.

Pan, meanwhile, has disbanded his fan group page on the social media platform Weibo and told state broadcaster CCTV that he prefers to maintain a low profile.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Hugh Lawson)