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Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) is appealing the doping ban reduction on Shayna Jack at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), according to a story from Reuters. Jack had initially been banned four years by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) for testing positive for the banned anabolic agent Ligandrol right before the 2019 World Championships, with a scheduled return to competition in the summer of 2023.
Last month, she had her sentence reduced to two years by the CAS, which still left her ineligible to qualify for the Australian team for the 2021 Olympic Games as the suspension would have ended after the Olympic Trials in June 2021.
CAS found that Jack “did not intentionally ingest Ligandrol and considered that she had discharged her onus of proving that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional.”
Now, SIA, the government agency which replaced ASADA in July this year, is appealing the shorter suspension.
SIA said on Monday that after “careful consideration of the legal issues” it had decided to lodge a case with CAS Appeals Division.
“Sport Integrity Australia will always act to ensure a level playing field for athletes,” chief executive David Sharpe said in a statement.
“In order to protect athletes and sporting competitions, we must have clarity and consistency in the application of the World Anti-Doping Code.”
Upon receiving her shortened suspension last month, Shayna Jack wrote:
“CAS has confirmed in emphatic terms that I did not intentionally , knowingly or recklessly use Ligandrol, in any manner.
“The anti-doping rules are far from satisfactory and can produce results that are far from fair. In my case, I have proven that I have NOT ever cheated, nor used prohibited substances intentionally or knowingly,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I cannot change the rules and the rules will remain as they are for the time being. Therefore, I accept this decision with a positive attitude and with gratitude that my career as a swimmer will resume next year.
“I have never doubted myself for a minute throughout this ordeal and I have never allowed my integrity to be compromised. I walk a little taller tonight with the fact that this ordeal is finally over. I am returning to swimming – the sport that I have loved all my life and the sport that I will cherish just that little bit more ongoing.”
In 2019, Shayna Jack was ranked third in Australia in the 200 free (1:56.37) and fourth in the 100 freestyle (53.18) as she was set to be a key relay member in the 4×100 and 4×200 free relays at the 2019 Worlds, which Australia won the gold medal in at those championships, with the latter coming in a new world record.
