China acknowledged yesterday that drug violations at the World Championships brought shame on the country but said suspicions of systematic doping were "unfair and ill-founded."

"Though isolated cases, the drug use of the Chinese swimmers brought shame on their nation and their colleagues," an editorial in the official China Daily said. "There exists in the international community suspicions of mass Chinese drug-taking. It is unfair and ill-founded," it said.

The English-language newspaper blamed the violations on a flawed mentality stressing success at all costs. "It is urgent for them to abandon the worship of gold medals and cherish sportsmanship more," the editorial said.