Ning Zetao, China's national 100m champion and the 2015 world championships winner, is one of the big names missing from the National Swimming Championships in Taiyuan. (Photo/Xinhua)
Meanwhile, Ning's absence from the trials will likely take a toll on the event's popularity.
Ning, a freestyle sprinter, joined Sun as the most popular and marketable swimmers in China after winning the country's first men's 100m free world title in 2015, following his quadruple gold effort at the 2014 Asian Games.
Ning's handsome looks and breakthrough performances have seen him grace the cover of multiple fashion magazines and made him a darling on social media.
However, his feuds with the sport's governing body over endorsement disputes in the past two years saw him expelled from the national team after a disappointing showing at the Rio Olympics.
The 25-year-old hasn't appeared at any competitions since last September's National Games, where he won the 50m and 100m free. His winning time of 47.92 seconds in the 100m would have tied for a fourth place in the final at the 2017 worlds, although Ning had only resumed training four months earlier.
According to the Henan provincial sports bureau, with which Ning is now affiliated, he is training with Aussie coach Matt Brown in Brisbane with hopes of still making it to the Asian Games, regardless of not competing at the nationals.
The national swimming administrative center, after a reshuffle of core leadership at the end of 2017, said the national program will remain open to any world-class competitor meeting team management requirements.
"As long as the athletes prove clean under unified anti-doping regulations and have the desire to compete for the country and the high level of performance, we are open to recruiting them," said Cheng.
