Sport Integrity Australia’s bombshell announcement in Shayna Jack’s doping saga

Shayna Jack’s return to the pool has copped a major setback after Sport Integrity Australia opted to renew the star’s ongoing nightmare.

Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) has opted to appeal the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to cut two years off Shayna Jack’s doping ban in a bombshell announcement Monday afternoon.

Jack was suspended from swimming for four years after she tested positive for the banned substance ligandrol in July 2019.

In November, the Swiss-based CAS decided to halve the 22-year-old’s ban on appeal, meaning she could return to competitive swimming next year.

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But Jack’s return to the pool has been disrupted by the SIA, who announced on Monday they will appeal the Court of Arbitration’s verdict.

“After careful consideration of the legal issues … Sport Integrity Australia lodged a statement of appeal on Monday 7 December in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Appeal Division,” the SIA said in a statement.

“As the proceedings are confidential, Sport Integrity Australia will not be in a position to comment further on the substance of those proceedings.”

Australian swimmer Shayna Jack and her mother Pauline.

SIA chief executive David Sharpe said: “Sport Integrity Australia will always act to ensure a level playing field for athletes.

“In order to protect athletes and sporting competitions, we must have clarity and consistency in the application of the World Anti-Doping Code.”

Sydney Morning Herald sports reporter Phil Lutton tweeted: “This is a costly hammer blow for Shayna Jack.

“Absolute nightmare for the swimmer.”

Swimmer Shayna Jack's two-year doping ban is being appealed by Sport Integrity Australia. SIA chief David Sharpe says the appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport's appeals division is based on a need for clarity regarding anti-doping legal principles. @AAPNewswire

— Steve Larkin (@larkinsteve) December 7, 2020

READ MORE: Jack’s bizarre blender defence

Last week, Jack clarified several aspects of the CAS’s findings in a lengthy Instagram post.

“I accepted, and have always accepted, the presence of the prohibited substance in my system, minuscule that it was,” Jack wrote.

“I have never shied away from that fact, and I have never tried to apportion blame to others for this event.

“Instead, I embarked on a process to clear my name of any suggestion of deliberate or intentional doping.

“The decision handed down by the CAS did exactly this … I could not have been happier with the decisiveness and precision of the decision.

“The decision confirmed that an athlete is able to appear before the CAS and tell the truth … and be believed.

“The truth is I will probably never know how I was contaminated by ligandrol and it is something that will haunt me for the rest of my career, potentially life.

“It is hard to put into words the feeling of being appraised and evaluated with genuine fairness … because most people understand that the anti-doping rules are, at times, inherently unfair.

“Critics will continue to argue and debate the findings of this decision. I have little interest in their academic definition of ‘innocent’. I was found not to have intentionally doped – not to have cheated.”

Australian swimmer Shayna Jack.

Although Jack remains uncertain about how she ingested the substance, she suggested three possible sources to the CAS.

She told the court her supplements might have been contaminated in the manufacturing process, while also suggesting a blender used by her partner and brother could have been contaminated with ligandrol.

Lastly, Jack told the court she might have come into contact with the substance while using a public pool or gym in Townsville or Cairns.

“The Sole Arbitrator in charge of this matter found, on the balance of probabilities, that Shayna Jack did not intentionally ingest ligandrol and considered that she had discharged her onus of proving that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional,” CAS said in its ruling.

“As a consequence, the Sole Arbitrator imposed a reduced period of ineligibility of two years, commencing on the date of her provisional suspension.”

If she qualifies for the Dolphins, the earliest Jack could represent Australia again is at the world championships in Japan in May 2022.

Jack was a gold medallist during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and holds the world record for the 4x100m freestyle relay event. She recently appeared on Channel 7 reality show SAS Australia.