Australia’s swimmers dumped in deep water

A subdued-looking Mack Horton watches the action from the last night of finals at the FINA World Championships in Gwangju last. Picture: Getty Images

Mack Horton cut a forlorn figure in South Korea yesterday. The Australian swimmer didn’t know where to look or what to say when approached by reporters at the World Swimming Championships in Gwangju.

With the Shayna Jack doping case exploding in Swimming Australia’s face, Horton initially refused to comment. And who can blame him. Horton has been hung out to dry by Swimming Australia’s handling of the case.

He later told Channel 7 he applauded the move to stand Jack down immediately.

“I was disappointed to learn late yesterday that a fellow Dolphins team member had recently returned a positive A sample,” he said.

“I applaud the decision to immediately withdraw the athlete in question from further competition until this matter is resolved. My position remains firm - clean sport must be a priority for all athletes, all sports and all nations.”

Horton took a stand against drug cheats on the opening day of the world championships, refusing to share the podium with China’s Sun Yang, who is yet to face an appeals hearing into allegations vials containing his blood samples were smashed when a visit by doping officials didn’t go the way he wanted.

Horton’s action sparked a revolt among swimmers that rolled through the week. Some of the biggest names in the sport backed his stand and British swimmer Duncan Scott refused to shake hands with Sun.

While all this was going on, Swimming Australia officials were watching — probably with their heads in their hands — fully aware one of Horton’s teammates had tested positive. Both A and B samples provided by Jack tested positive to Ligandrol, a drug prominently available in bodybuilding circles.

Jack revealed last night she was made aware of the result of the B sample test on July 19 — Swimming Australia almost certainly knew on the same day. That’s two days before Horton took his stand.

Swimming Australia maintain they were bound not to say anything until Jack had revealed it. And Jack says she didn’t want to distract her teammates while they were competing. As a result, we were all kept in the dark.

Jack had been sent home from the swim team’s training camp in Japan for “personal reasons”, we were told. There were suggestions of mental health issues. Days later, a massive doping row erupted, with Horton at the centre of it. FINA, rather than applauding Horton for his courage and supporting the majority of swimmers who abhor any sort of performance enhancing drugs, sided with Sun and issued the Australian with a warning letter.

Scott was rapped over the knuckles and all the swimmers who stood against Sun came under vicious social media attack from China. But it was nothing compared to what erupted on Saturday night when it was revealed Jack had tested positive. Across the world they cried: “Hypocrite”.

Sun’s millions of fans were shrieking with outrage, appalled Horton could point the finger at their hero when one of his own teammates had been accused of something just as bad.

The Australian swimming team’s reputation has been trashed and Horton has been made to look a fool, all because Swimming Australia failed to grasp the seriousness of the situation and come clean.

The facts should have been revealed as soon as Jack was informed that her B sample had come back positive. Yes, there are rules to be complied with but Swimming Australia could have found a way around them by sitting down with Jack and her family and convincing them it would be best for everyone concerned if the truth came out immediately.

Former ASADA boss Richard Ings made it clear yesterday the rules do allow the sporting body to make an announcement when an athlete is provisionally suspended.

Swimming Australia maintain they had no idea Horton was going to make his protest but there had been a similar blow-up the last time the Australian encountered Sun — at the Rio Olympics. And there were plenty of indications another row was brewing.

The Australian swim team should be celebrating a fantastic performance at the world championships. Horton has been one of the stars, winning silver in the 400m and anchoring the men’s 4x200m relay team to gold. But instead of celebrating these achievements, Horton and his teammates are ducking for cover, confused and angry at being left in the dark.

By hiding the truth, Swimming Australia have turned this into the biggest story in world sport — much bigger and more damaging than if they had just been honest.