Sun Yang protests a bad look but voices must be heard says Grant Hackett

Australia’s greatest-ever distance swimmer has joined the call for consistency in the fight against drug cheats, siding with those protesting Chinese star Sun Yang, reports Mike Colman.

Australia’s greatest distance swimmer Grant Hackett has come out in support of athlete protests against Chinese drug cheat Sun Yang at the world championships in South Korea.

Hackett, whose longstanding 1500m freestyle world record was broken by Sun Yang in 2011, said athletes wanted fairness and the only way to make their voice heard was protests such as those by Australian Mack Horton and Britain’s Duncan Scott this week.

Australian silver medallist Mack Horton starts a furore by refusing to stand on the podium with gold medallist Sun Yang. Picture: Ed Jones/AFP

Horton, who also called out Sun Yang at the Rio Olympics, chose not to stand on the podium after finishing second to him in the final of the 400m freestyle, while bronze medallist Scott enraged the Chinese champion by refusing to shake his hand after the 200m freestyle final.

Winner of six individual world championships under the coaching of Denis Cottrell – who now coaches Sun Yang – Hackett said he did not like to see the sport of swimming dragged down by such scenes but could understand the frustration that led to them.

China’s Sun Yang listens to his Australian coach Denis Cottrell, right, during a training session last Friday. Picture: Lee Jin-man/AP

“Sun Yang has been under a cloud for a while and the latest revelations about him being banned in China and the business about his security guards breaking his test vials have brought it all to the surface,” he said.

“I don’t think he has ever returned a positive test during competition but people want to compete in a fair sport and most of all they want consistency from the governing bodies.

“Here in Australia we had a situation where Thomas Fraser-Holmes missed a third test because he was late getting home and was banned for a year, and yet Sun Yang is still competing and winning world titles.

“Sun Yang’s character doesn’t help. He is someone who can speak his mind and fire up, as we have seen this week, but I think it’s all part of a bigger picture.

Sun Yang “fires up” after bronze medallist Duncan Scott refused to shake his hand after he won the 200m freestyle. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“Athletes want more from the governing agencies. They are sick of working their backsides off and feeling like it’s not a fair playing field.

“The protests this week have been against Sun Yang but at the same time they are saying to the ruling bodies, ‘you guys need to do a better job’.”

Hackett has had his own experience with drug cheats – his bid to become the first swimmer to win three Olympic 1500m freestyle finals was thwarted in 2008 by Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli who was coming off a two-year ban.

An exhausted Grant Hackett after finishing 0.69 of a second behind Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli in the final of the 1500m freestyle at the Beijing Olympics.

Even so, he says he is not against athletes who fail drug tests returning to competition after they have served their suspension, as long as the punishment is internationally consistent.

“That is all anyone wants,” he said.

“I hate to see someone not standing on the podium or not shaking hands after a race. It is shame that this issue is taking the focus away from the great performances at this event but that it what it has come to.

“Our sport has been compromised. There is a bunch of athletes who have become frustrated at the way swimming is being governed in terms of penalties.

“They want their voices to be heard and this is the only way that it can be done.”