Australian swimmer Shayna Jack is set to meet with the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) on Friday, August 2nd, SwimSwam has learned. The meeting with ASADA is not to sanction the athlete, but instead to provide further details of the freestyle ace’s positive test, which resulted in both her A and B samples testing for banned substance Ligandrol.
Jack will read a short statement following the meeting, but will not address any questions at that time. Instead, the Brisbane-based, St. Peters Western athlete will hold a press conference at 10am local time on Saturday, August 3rd.
Jack is facing a maximum 4-year ban for the offense unless she can find a way to provide evidence that the source of the Ligandrol came from contaminated supplements or another source. Although a steep mountain to climb for Jack, there is recent precedent for a swimmer proving a contaminated supplement for a reduced punishment.
American Madisyn Cox originally received a 2-year ban for having tested positive for Trimetazidine but saw her suspension reduced to 6 months. A WADA-accredited lab in Salt Lake City determined that 4 nanograms of the banned substance were present in both the opened and sealed bottles of Cooper Complete Elite Athletic multivitamin that Cox says she had been taking for seven years and had listed on every doping control form she had ever completed.
You can refresh yourself on the timeline of Jack’s situation here.
- June 26th – Date of the doping test.
- July 14th – Via her personal Instagram account, Jack announces her shock withdrawal from the World Championships, despite having traveled and practicing with the Aussie squad at their staging camp.
- July 27th – Again via her personal Instagram account, Jack, reveals her positive doing test, but does not explain the substance involved, nor the fact that both the A and B samples were positive.
- July 27th – Swimming Australia releases an official comment on Jack, but does not disclose the substance involved. CEO Leigh Russell stated, “under the specific legislation governing Australia‘s drug-testing regime, Swimming Australia is notified of any adverse test result as is WADA and FINA. Under the process, all details are required to remain confidential until ASADA has completed its investigations, the athlete is afforded due process and an outcome determined.”
- July 28th – Jack announces via Instagram that she tested positive for Ligandrol. Also known as selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) LGD-4033, was originally developed for the treatment of muscle wasting conditions such as aging, osteoporosis, muscular dystrophy and cancer, is promoted as a selective non-steroidal anabolic agent. (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority).
- July 28th – Former ASADA head Richard Ings questions the handling of informing the public by Swimming Australia, saying “If Swimming Australia is suggesting that their anti-doping policy, approved by ASADA, forbids them from announcing the Jack provisional suspension, they are wrong.”
- Aussie Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren also speaks, saying, “We are not trying to cover anything up. We don’t play a game. She’s [Jack] not here [in Gwangju] and it shows that the Australian system works.”
- July 29th – Jack suspended from ISL pending outcome of anti-doping proceedings.
Dopers don’t belong in the sport—whether they be Russian, Brazilian, Aussie, Chinese or any other nationality. If it’s anything other than pot, nominal or other recreational drug—one and done! The sport needs to take a stand. No cheaters.
Comments by Shayna Jack’s teammate and training partner, Ariarne Titmus, here regarding Australian “cover-up” as it is called here by Australian media. Says “Yeah” she was glad not to know of Shayna Jack’s failed doping test going into World Championships. Says she has spoken to a “pretty upset” Shayna Jack since that time and while not commenting further or expressing how things might proceed for S. Jack, Titmus says “the team will get through it”. Says Titmus about her training group this past year–“we’re all so close” and “I think the team’s the best it’s been ever since I’ve been on it.”
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/shayna-jack-doping-scandal-ariarne-titmus-swimming-australia-cover-up-025253188.html
What a mess. Not sure, given the pending investigations, upcoming hearings and the like, that Boxall and Titmus should even be in contact with Shayna Jack at this point as they both have now stated. Not that Shayna Jack should be isolated, but their communication has a funny look to it (coordination of stories or defense?) especially given that Boxall admitted that he kept the fact of Shayna Jack’s failed doping test a “secret” (even from his wife) throughout World Championships.
At the end of the day if she is a personal friend (Titmus) of hers and they have each other phone numbers how can that be policed ? Ok they can advise swimmers not to contact one another but can’t control their lives
Yes, of course, Titmus can speak with Shana Jack…but it is bad optics. The drug testing organizations DO already control the lives of swimmers, which is why the infractions are so serious. They impose rules as to what the swimmers can legally ingest, and when they have to report their whereabouts and be available for testing, and when they have to have their bodies punctured for blood tests and their privacy invaded to give witnessed urine samples both in and out of competition.
This is a relatively new PED, that’s not really mass-produced, and is a SARM. If she “successfully” shows it came from “tainted supplements”, the system will be a total sham and they may as well eliminate the entire thing.
The real goal here needs to be protection of the athletes and their health. Guess we can only hope that ASADA and/or Swimming Australia will hold its own press conference and announce that it will conduct a full-scale examination of Boxall’s program (at the least) to see if he encouraged supplement use among his swimmers and whether his swimmers are disproportionately using supplements and/or inhalers, and making use of other medicines under TUEs that are not justified medically.
Great point about putting coaches under the microscope. I feel this needs to be done more especially when a young athlete has a positive test. And by young i think 21 and under is young.
He won’t have done anything wrong. He doesn’t need to. Nor does any other coach getting that level of athlete.
Turning a blind eye is enough.
From Australian media–“Meanwhile in Brisbane, the head coach and Shayna Jack’s mentor Dean Boxall were cracking smiles as they approached the cameras on arriving home–sorry? Guys your athlete has tested positive to drugs. Both were interviewed, no media manager in sight, and it was unconvincing.”
https://7news.com.au/sport/swimming/shayna-jack-drugs-scandal-swimming-australia-media-advisors-failed-miserably-c-377115
Coaches coach a multitude of athletes.
Overall Boxall had a great meet. The best of his young career.
To expect him to be morose because one of his athlete has failed a drug test (at this point there has been no suggestion he is to blame) is ridiculous.
There are interesting reports now that Shayna Jack was actually ordered not to disclose her failed test prior to World Championships, contrary to earlier indications that this was a voluntary decision on her part (so as not to upset her teammates). This whole story gets more curious by the day.
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/shayna-jack-says-swimming-australia-told-not-to-speak-up-213204038.html