Swimming Australia yesterday defended their concealment of Shayna Jack’s positive doping test while one of her teammates was conducting a public campaign against China’s Sun Yang at the world championships.
Jack was withdrawn from the Australia squad ahead of the championships in Gwangju with the swimmer and Swimming Australia (SA) initially saying it was for personal reasons.
The 20-year-old freestyle swimmer, however, revealed on Saturday that she had tested positive for a banned substance in an out-of-competition test on June 26. Jack, who denies wittingly taking a banned substance, on Sunday said her ‘B’ sample had confirmed the presence in her sample of Ligandrol, an anabolic agent. She faces a four-year ban.
Accusations of hypocrisy were immediately levelled at Australia with the non-disclosure of the positive test set against Mack Horton’s condemnation of Sun, who served a drug ban in 2014 and is embroiled in another doping controversy.
Chief executive Leigh Russell said on Sunday, however, that SA had been bound by confidentiality while an investigation was conducted by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).
“An Australian swimmer returning a positive result is both bitterly disappointing and embarrassing to our team, our sport and our country,” said Russell.
“The ASADA agreement requires Swimming Australia to maintain confidentiality until such time as either ASADA or the individual athlete release details of an adverse result. I accept this is a frustrating position but I also accept that Shayna has a right to a fair process.”
Former ASADA chief Richard Ings had said earlier that rules did allow sports to identify athletes who had adverse test results.
“When an athlete is provisionally suspended, the rules do allow the sport to make a public announcement,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “Ultimately, what was said by Shayna Jack and Swimming Australia weeks ago about vague personal reasons become transparent weeks later as a lie.”
ASADA later released a statement backing Russell’s stance.
