'They are wrong': Swimming Australia slammed over doping scandal response

Swimming Australia’s response to the Shayna Jack doping scandal has been questioned, with a prominent former doping authority calling them out for not disclosing the positive test.

Jack returned a positive test sample on June 26 - well before the FINA World Championships in South Korea got underway.

The scandal became especially embarrassing in the light of highly-publicised anti-doping protests led by Australian swimmer Mack Horton.

Swimming Australia stand accused of a cover up after failing to make the results public, despite claiming they were legally bound to silence.

Former ASADA CEO, Richard Ings, took to Twitter to rubbish the claim, citing a specific section of their own anti-doping policy.

“If Swimming Australia are suggesting that their anti doping policy, approved by ASADA, forbids them from announcing the Jack provisional suspension, they are wrong,” Ings wrote on Twitter.

Ings also pointed out that both the International Association of Athletes Federations (IAAF) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) also announce provisional suspensions in similar circumstances.

According to section 14.3.1 of the Swimming Australia Limited Anti-Doping Policy, the organisation is allowed to disclose a positive sample.

“The identity of any Athlete or other Person who is asserted by ASADA or another Anti-Doping Association to have committed an anti-doping rule violation, may be Publicly Disclosed by ASADA or another Anti-Doping Organisation only after notice has been provided to the Athlete or other Person,” the policy reads.

Scores of swimming heavyweights criticised Swimming Australia’s response, notably USA Swimming head coach Alex Pussieldi.

In their statement on Saturday night, Swimming Australia said Jack was ruled out of the World Championships immediately after returning the positive sample.

“Once Swimming Australia was made aware of the adverse test result, it immediately took action — in accordance with the national policy — to provisionally suspend Shayna from the Australian swim team while a process was under way and accompanied her back to Australia from a training camp being held in Japan,” the statement read.

“The Swimming Australia policy also means that any Australian athlete under provisional suspension, while ASADA investigations are under way, cannot take part in any competition, meaning Shayna was unable to travel to Gwangju to compete at the 2019 World Championships.”

Swimming Australia regret ‘embarrassing’ situation

Swimming Australia CEO Leigh Russell has described the Shayna Jack positive drug test as bitterly disappointing and embarrassing for the national swimming team, the sport and the country.

She says SA's agreement with national anti-doping body ASADA did not allow it to reveal news of Jack's test at the time when she was notified and sent home from the team's training camp in Japan ahead of the world championships in South Korea.

Russell told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday she understood Jack was planning to reveal the positive test on her A sample later this week once the national team had finished competing.

"I do want to say that while an Australian athlete returning an adverse result is both bitterly disappointing and embarrassing to our team, our sport and our country, it does not in any way change the zero tolerance view that Swimming Australia has and our continuing fight for a clean sport," Russell said.

Swimming Australia has been castigated for not having an official address the media at the world championships on Saturday once the story broke.

"I do accept the criticism that we did not have an official speak poolside last night and that Cate Campbell spoke on behalf of our team. That was my call," said Russell.

"In retrospect we could have done that differently but I do want to acknowledge Cate and her leadership and our team."

WITH AAP