'Embarrassing': Doping scandal leaves Australia in 'bad light'

Questions are being asked of Swimming Australia and Mack Horton in the wake of the doping scandal that has left the nation reeling.

Ahead of the final day of the week-long world titles in South Korea on Sunday, the Dolphins have been rocked by Swimming Australia's confirmation that Shayna Jack, 20, failed a drug test on June 26.

Jack raised eyebrows when she withdrew from the Dolphins' world titles team just days before the competition began, with officials initially citing "personal reasons".

It is not a good look for Australia after their Olympic champion Horton took a very public anti-doping stance against controversial Chinese star Sun Yang at Gwangju.

"It is quite heartbreaking actually," Australian swimming legend Leisel Jones said on Channel Nine.

Jone did add that until Jack's 'B' sample has been tested, however, she should be treated as innocent until proven guilty.

"We've been so vocal about it all this week, it's been a huge story this whole week. Mack Horton's been so brave and standing up, and we fighting for clean sport. That's what the big protest was about originally ... so it is heartbreaking to see Shayna Jack."

Swimming Australia chief executive Leigh Russell admitted to reporters on Sunday that it was wrong to hold our coaches and officials back from commenting to the world's media after news of the Jack incident 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,” she said.

“That was my call. In retrospect we could have done that differently, but I do want to acknowledge Cate for her leadership and our team’s ongoing commitment to a clean sport.”

However, the Swimming Australia CEO says the organisation followed an ASADA directive by not making Jack's indiscretion public.

“The ASADA agreement requires Swimming Australia to maintain confidentiality until such time that ASADA or the individual athlete release details of an adverse test result,” Russell added.

“I accept that this is a frustrating position, but I also accept that Shayna has a right to a fair process. She has told us that she was planning to release the adverse test result this week. She said she wanted to wait until her teammates had finished competing.”

After initially refusing to elaborate on Jack's curious world titles team exit, Swimming Australia on Saturday confirmed the 20-year-old had actually failed a routine out of competition drug tests last month.

It is believed Jack failed the test at the Dolphins training camp in Cairns ahead of the world titles in South Korea.

Swimming Australia could not provide any more details about the results.

Channel's Nine's Neil Breen says the fact Australia's athletes have been among the most vocal critics of doping, leaves the country a little red-faced in the wake of Jack's indiscretion.

"The problem Australia had was that they were leading this charge on the world scene yet they had their own issue and it wasn't made public... and it leaves us and casts us in a bad light," Breen said.

Four-time world champion Chad le Clos weighed also weighed in on the controversy, saying swimmers should be banned for life on their first strike for doping.

South African great backs life bans

The South African great admitted that convicted dopers shouldn't be allowed to compete again.

"I'm not sure what the case is but my stance is always the same. If you test positive you shouldn't be allowed to swim," he said.

"Anybody that takes PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) shouldn't be allowed to swim, simple."

Le Clos admitted he was still bitter about Sun upstaging him in the 2016 Olympic Games, relegating him to 200m freestyle silver.

He hinted that he should receive the 200m gold if Sun is found guilty at his upcoming Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in September.

Chinese star Sun served a three-month doping ban in 2014 and is under fire again at this year's world championships.

Swimmers were angry Sun had been allowed to contest the world titles ahead of his Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing.

Sun faces a lifetime ban if found guilty at CAS after allegations he smashed a vial of his blood with a hammer during a clash with doping officials last year.

"I want my (200m gold) medal back from Rio. I want that gold medal back but other than that, I don't really mind," le Clos said about Sun's upcoming CAS hearing.

"Good luck to them, if they want to cheat they're cheating themselves but I know I'm clean.

"I mean look at me, I'm a skinny little boy from Africa."

US star slams Jack after failed drugs test

American breaststroke champion Lilly King - an outspoken critic of Sun - pulled no punches when criticising Jack over her failed drugs test.

"She is a drug cheater," King said about the Aussie swimmer.

"She has tested positive on a drug test. I don't know the details on the case so we will see."

But King did not think Jack's positive test had tarnished Australian Horton's anti-doping crusade at the titles in Gwangju.

"I don't think necessarily, I think all swimmers are standing up for clean athletes," she said.

"It shouldn't matter what country they're from even if they're from your own country - doping is doping so I don't think it should effect the protest too much."

Australian veteran Cate Campbell said no member of the Dolphins team knew of Jack's positive test.

"I had absolutely no knowledge of this before tonight. All I knew before is that it was a personal matter and we were respecting her privacy," she said.

"I think that we have to respect the process. We stand for clean sport and I think the fact that Shayna isn't here at the moment strengthens that stance."

Jack confirmed the positive test on Instagram but said she did not "knowingly" take a banned substance.

"It is with great sadness and heartache that I had to leave due to allegations of having a prohibited substance in my system," she posted.

"I did NOT take this substance knowingly. Swimming has been my passion since I was 10 years old and I would never intentionally take a banned substance that would disrespect my sport and jeopardise my career.

"Now there is an ongoing investigation and my team and I are doing everything we can to find out when and how this substance has come into contact with my body."

With AAP