Swimming Australia green light future Mack Horton protests

Despite the world labelling him a hypocrite after teammate Shayna Jack’s positive drug test, Swimming Australia has given Mack Horton the green light to continue his divisive protests.

Mack Horton’s protest that started a swimming storm. Picture: Getty

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Mack Horton has been given the green light to continue his divisive protests against rivals he suspects of doping even after being accused of double standards following the leaked report that Shayna Jack returned an adverse test result.

In the eyes of the world, Horton has been made to look like a complete hypocrite after he refused to join his Chinese arch rival Sun Yang on the medal podium during the world championships but hasn’t said a word about his own teammate.

Swimming Australia admits the timing of Jack’s adverse result is “embarrassing” but they said Horton will be free to ramp up his protests without fear of ever being gagged.

Mack Horton’s protest that started a swimming storm. Picture: Getty

“The question is going to be asked should he have done that? I think yes,” Australia’s head coach Jacco Verhaeren said.

“This is about someone standing up for clean sport, we still do that.”

One of the few people who knew Jack had returned an adverse A sample before it was made public, Verhaeren said Horton had no idea why his teammate had been sent home a week before the start of the world championships.

But he said that even if he did know, it wouldn’t have made any difference to Horton because of his deep rooted commitment to speaking out against cheats.

“First of all, no one knew what Mack was going to do,” he said.

“If the meet started tomorrow, with this knowledge, he would stand there again and if I could, I would stand next to him.

“It has nothing to do with that (Jack’s test).”

Swimming Australia chief executive Leigh Russell also said no-one was going to tell Horton to stop his demonstrations regardless of how bad it looks after Jack’s test.

“I absolutely support Mack,” Russell said.

“He’s entitled to say and do on an issue that he is passionate about and we are too.

“This has not changed our thinking on a zero tolerance approach.”

Asked whether Swimming Australia should get its own house in order before pointing the finger at others, Russell said Australia doesn’t need to change anything.

“I don’t think it is my job at Swimming Australia to comment on other people’s athletes and we haven’t done that,” she said.

“I think they are frustrated by the process.

“But what I would say is that Shayna’s immediate removal from the team and her suspension was the right thing to do under our policies.”

Verhaeren said the foreign coaches and swimmers he had spoken still supported Horton’s stance against drug cheats and wouldn’t want him to back down because of Jack’s case.

Mack Horton (L) refused to share the podium or be pictured alongside Sun Yang. Picture: AFP

“The swimming world is big but not that big. We all know each other and there is the utmost respect for Australia for the performances,” he said.

“I spoke to my American colleagues, other nations. They talk about the performances and are sorry we have to deal with this. But that’s all.

“Every country at some stage has to deal with this, whether we like it or not. These things sometimes happen.”

Originally published as Swimming Australia green light future Mack Horton protests