Swimming Australia defend concealing Shayna Jack's positive drugs test
ByReuters
Updated 28/07/2019 at 08:58 GMT
Swimming Australia on Sunday defended their concealment of Shayna Jack's positive drugs test while one of her team mates was conducting a high profile public campaign against China's Sun Yang at the world championships.
Shayna Jack has tested positive for doping
Image credit: Getty Images
Jack was withdrawn from the Australia squad ahead of the championships in Gwangju with the swimmer and Swimming Australia (SA) initially saying it was for personal reasons.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.
The news prompted accusations of hypocrisy to be levelled at Australia with SA covering up the violation just as Mack Horton was publicly condemning Olympic champion Sun, who served a drug ban in 2014 and is embroiled in another doping controversy.
Chief executive Leigh Russell, however, said 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," Russell told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.
"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. The truth needs to be told at the beginning."
ASADA later released a statement backing Russell's stance.
Russell said Jack should enjoy presumption of innocence until the process was completed but if she was found guilty they would "enforce any sanction imposed".
Jack has denied wittingly taking a banned substance. Russell said she was unable to reveal what Jack substance had tested positive for.
The world swimming championships finish later on Sunday.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement