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Shayna Jack banned from lucrative swimming league

Shayna Jack won't be swimming at the International Swimming League.

Shayna Jack won't be swimming at the International Swimming League. Photo: AAP

Shayna Jack’s right to a fair doping hearing has been impinged by the leaking of her positive drug test, Australia’s swimming leaders say.

The Dolphins’ leadership group also reject claims of a cover-up regarding Jack’s case.

The leadership group of Cate Campbell and her sister Bronte, Mitch Larkin, Jess Hansen and Alex Graham say they support Swimming Australia’s handling of the Jack case.

Jack will on meet the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority on Friday, after testing positive for Ligandrol, a banned muscle growth agent, at a swim camp ahead of the world championships in South Korea.

Jack withdrew from the world titles, initially citing personal reasons, only for her positive drugs test to be leaked to media last weekend.

Swimming Australia says under anti-doping legislation, it wasn’t able to inform the public earlier of the 20-year-old’s positive test – a position backed by the Dolphins’ leadership group.

“Swimming Australia kept our team informed when they were allowed, under the legislation, to do so,” the leadership group said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

“We also strongly believe in an athlete’s right to privacy and fair process under the ASADA code while a full investigation takes place and due to a leak of this information in the early stages of this process these rights have been infringed.

“We stand very strongly in our commitment to clean and drug-free sport and this won’t change.

“But we also are strongly committed to following the procedures set out in legislation.”

Jack faces a four-year ban from competition – the standard penalty for a doping violation involving anabolic agents such as Ligandrol.

Jack will argue she didn’t knowingly take the drug. If she can prove her argument to ASADA, the length of ban might be reduced.

She has already been banned from the rich International Swimming League as she prepares to fight her case.

Jack had been included in the Cali Condors team for the ISL’s series starting this October.

But the ISL said Jack had been suspended, pending the outcome of her case.

She had been selected for the ISL, a new series of events featuring some of the world’s best swimmers.

The ISL’s managing director Andrea di Nino said Jack’s selection was revoked for meets to be held in Europe and the US from October.

“No doping control rules violation will be overlooked,” Mr di Nino said in a statement on the ISL’s website.

“This is another case that serves to reiterate our stance on banned substances and breaking doping control rules. No such behaviour will ever be condoned.

“From the outset, the ISL has been an advocate for transparency and clean sport.

“Any athletes with doping control or ethical violation records will be considered ineligible with no recourse.”

The ISL is founded and funded by Ukrainian billionaire and swimming fan Konstantin Grigorishin, who has earmarked a $US20 million ($A29 million) budget for the initial series, of which $7 million will go to swimmers and teams in prize money.

Jack’s manager Philip Stoneman has said the swimmer won’t contest the presence of the banned drug in her system.

“I don’t think this is a question of Shayna denying there is something in her body,” Stoneman said.

What she is doing is fighting her innocence because it shouldn’t be in there and she doesn’t know how it got in there.”

-AAP

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