It is quite understandable that fans of international swimming are once again rather bemused and disgruntled following developments at the 18th World Aquatic Championships which were held from the 12th to 28th July in Gwangju, South Korea.
The event which was held under the auspices of FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation – International Swimming Federation), the international organisation recognized by the IOC for administering international competition in water sports, saw the participation of a record number of 2,623 athletes from 192 countries in six disciplines; swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo.
As per usual, the ugly undercurrent of doping is the culprit, and the subsequent denials of any wrongdoing and the accompanying ‘spin doctoring’ by the various organizations (who should know better), has once again drawn the ire of sports enthusiasts.
Shayna Jack, a 20-year-old Australian swimmer who won gold at last year’s Commonwealth Games, withdrew at the eleventh hour from the FINA championships, citing ‘personal reasons.’ It has since been revealed that Jack had tested positive for Ligandrol – a new age drug developed for osteoporosis sufferers and favoured by bodybuilders since minute dosages can lead to big muscle and strength gains – and Swimming Australia (SA) opted not to reveal this information to the public, despite having a positive result, citing a confidentiality provision with the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).
As per the Standard Operating Procedure in these cases, the athlete claims to be innocent and vows to clear her name, while the spin doctors start turning the wheels of diversion and misdirection. A lot is at stake here; the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are around the corner and this potential star is staring at a possible four year ban if found guilty. Athletes tested positive for Ligandrol seventeen times in the last four years, prompting ASADA to issue a specific warning about it last year.
Phil Stoneman, Jack’s manager cited mushrooms, meat or “something in a bottle” as a possible source for the contamination that led to the positive result. SA denied that it was involved in a cover-up despite knowing that both samples had tested positive for Ligandrol, and could have disclosed same since 12th July. SA remained silent after the news broke, one month after the test was conducted at an out of competition training camp in Japan, and two weeks after Jack was sent home, and the Australian swim captain was left to deal with the media as the World Aquatic Championships wound down.
SA’s silence was only further compounded by the actions of one of their swimmers, Mark Horton, who, unaware of his teammate’s indiscretion, refused to share the podium with China’s Sun Yang on the opening night during the medal ceremony for the 400 metres freestyle event. Horton had labelled Yang “a drug cheat” before the Rio Olympics final because he had served a three-month suspension in 2014 for taking a banned stimulant which he had claimed was for a heart condition.
At present, Yang is awaiting the outcome of a Court of Arbitration appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against FINA which had determined that Yang and his entourage had done nothing wrong during an out of competition drug test conducted at his home last September. Yang had questioned the credentials of the testers while his bodyguard had used a hammer to smash a vial containing a blood sample already taken from Yang. The hearing is scheduled for next month and a guilty verdict could spell the end of the eleven-time world champion’s career, as he could become the recipient of a lifetime ban.
Horton’s protest against Yang’s presence at the championships was further emulated by two other athletes in separate instances, prompting FINA to issue a new Code of Conduct provision entitled “Rules of Conduct during the competition” which reportedly states that athletes can receive a ban or lose their medal if they engage in “any political, religious or discriminatory behaviour” at the podium.
The whole episode of Shayna Jack’s positive drug test has become a nightmare for Australia which prides itself as a leading nation in the call for ‘clean sport.’ The million- dollar questions are; why did ASADA require two weeks to investigate the findings and why weren’t Jack and her support team interviewed immediately? The incident has served as an opportunity for the media to remind the public that Jack’s and Horton’s compatriot, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, who was banned for a year in 2017 after missing three drug tests, had returned to the fold in Gwangju, without nary a word of protest from the international community.
It can be safely concluded that the swimming world has now merged with the track and field circuit – or if you prefer, circus — when it comes to the subject of doping, and the double standards present are completely submerged in the murky waters of innuendo and double speak.
