No right to play judge, jury and executioner
Australian Shayna Jack testing positive to a banned substance has highlighted gobsmacking hypocrisy.
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OPINION
WHEN Mack Horton took the moral high ground in condemning Sun Yang he played judge, jury and executioner.
Should 20-year-old freestyler Shayna Jack also be thrown to the wolves after testing positive to the banned substance Ligandrol? Of course not. She is entitled to due process.
As Jack's credibility hangs in the balance, some might say Horton's bold protest has backfired in stunning fashion. There is no doubt the timing damages Australian Swimming and Horton's position in the eyes of the world. But he took a stand against an accused drug cheat. Not Chinese athletes. If Jack was confirmed to be in breach of the rules, surely Horton would stand by his convictions in denouncing the Australian too.
But whether or not she is innocent, the blatant hypocrisy the incident has cast a light on is astonishing.
Since Jack's initial positive test there rightfully has been a flood of support for her. She is innocent until proven guilty.
As is Sun.
Horton's bold move not to take the podium following his 400m loss was premature. However strongly he may have felt that Sun was cheating, it is not the right or role of athletes to judge other competitors.
In 2014, Sun tested positive to stimulant trimetazidine, which had been banned earlier that year. He said he was taking the substance for a heart condition. Sentenced to three months away from competition, he served his time.
Swimming's governing body FINA has also cleared him of wrongdoing for allegedly organising for samples of his blood to be smashed with a hammer because those collecting them did not present proper accreditation. Can you blame him? If your life's ambitions, career and potential to earn millions were in the hands of an official, would you not demand they have the correct accreditation?
Grant Hackett's former coach Dennis Cotterell trains Sun. He has publicly declared the superfish is no drug cheat. Regardless of whether you or Mack Horton think he is guilty, he awaits a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport where his fate will be decided.
Originally published as No right to play judge, jury and executioner
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