Cate Campbell has called for “tough questions” to be asked of Fina after disgraced Chinese swimmer Sun Yang’s career-ending ban. Swimming’s world governing body is under fire for its handling of Sun’s case, with the 28-year-old suspended for eight years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last Friday.
The arch-rival of Australian freestyle champion Mack Horton was found guilty of a second doping offence after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed Fina’s original verdict.
Campbell said any apology from Fina or stripping of medals should wait until Sun has his final appeal heard by the Swiss federal court. But the Australian swimming star emphasised Fina procedures were in desperate need of a review after Sun was allowed to compete at with world championships last year while under investigation.
“Some organisations need more improvement than others and I think that this is definitely something that needs to be reviewed,” Campbell said. “Tough questions need to be asked.
“I’m not the person who should be asking those questions, I think that Fina should be asking themselves those questions and they really need to have a look at the standards they’re setting.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“Once a ban of this substance has been handed down we need to go back and have a look at why athletes were allowed to compete at world championships with a ban like this looming over their heads.”
Sun won the 400m freestyle at the world championships ahead of Horton, who staged a silent protest by refusing to share the podium or shake hands with his rival. Fina issued Horton a “warning letter” but Campbell backed her teammate’s conduct throughout the ordeal.
“Every athlete has the right to stand up to what they believe in and Mack is a clear supporter of clean sport,” Campbell said. “He’s a man of integrity and I don’t think this decision has vindicated him in anyway shape or form, I think that it has just confirmed his courage as an athlete.
“We need to wait until the appeals process has gone through before we start demanding things [like apologies] because we have to allow these things to run their due course.
“But I think that Mack has definitely proved his worth. It was a brave step on his behalf and standing up for what you believe in can be really tough but for him it’s worked out really well.”