"Yes,it was such a difficult one. I absolutely support Mack,he's entitled to say and do that on an issue that he is passionate about and we are too. This has not changed our thinking on a zero-tolerance approach,"Russell said."I certainly was,watching Mack,distressed about what would befall both Shayna and Mack in the coming days and week."
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Verhaeren said nothing would change the message of clean sport from the Dolphins despite the undeniable suggestion that they are living in an increasingly fragile glass house given Jack's result.
"The question is going to be asked should he have done that? I think,yes,because that is a totally different subject as well,this is about someone standing up for clean sport,we still do that,"Verhaeren 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.
"An athlete who does that and suddenly gets a standing ovation coming back to the[Athletes'] Village,there is something in our sport that we truly need to solve."
SA has been forced to vigorously defend the management of the doping case amid suggestions of incompetence or a cover-up. Both Russell and Verhaeren said their hands were tied under ASADA legislation and their anti-doping code,which prevented them from sharing any information of the test,which was taken in out-of-competition in Cairns before the team flew to Japan and onwards to Korea.
But there are many precedents for sporting bodies to go public with provisional bans,which can only happen if the national federation and the athlete involved give their consent. In this case,Jack was not forthcoming and had intended to keep the result confidential until the swimming had finished,for fear of distracting her teammates racing in Gwangju.
Asked whether SA implored her to go public in a bid to get in front of the issue,Russell said:"It is not our role,it is up to her legal representation to make those recommendations. We were unable to do anything in that situation. Shayna has said to me that she wanted to protect the performance of her teammates that she did not want the whole thing to be about her situation."
Verhaeren was with Jack in Cairns when she was notified of the adverse finding in her test sample and he also informed the team on Saturday. It is believed Jack's coach,Dean Boxall,was one of the few to know the full story.
Even after Horton's protest and the subsequent endorsements from Australian swimmers,who were quizzed from reporters all over the world,Verhaeren said he was unable to shed any light on the test. That being the case,Horton was unwittingly set up to fail.
"It sounds ridiculous,I am all for transparency but in these cases we are following strict protocol,"Verhaeren said."These protocols are not secret. I can tell you there were only very few people on the team that were aware,particularly the very close leadership."
Given the storm that has descended in Gwangju and across Australian swimming,both Russell and Verhaeren said their anti-doping policy,especially the matter of disclosure,would be up for discussion.
"Should we have a conversation about that? Yes. Because no-one wants that situation and no-one wants that situation during a tournament or actually at any stage of the year. So yes,the conversation should happen about what we are going to do this,"Verhaeren said. "It’s is going to be a difficult one because people have rights,too. And at this stage,people are condemned before there is any proof of conviction and that is unfortunate."