Australia’s Mack Horton took the plunge, stepping off the podium in protest of alleged doper Chinese swimmer Sun Yang. British Swimmer Duncan Scott followed, and the world’s swimmers are standing behind them, with #CleanSport.
Horton has planted the seeds of revolt. But there will be no revolution until he goes after world swimming’s leaders. These demonstrations cannot stand alone, otherwise they appear as sour grapes or worse, racism. The next step of his protest must expose the decades of doping failures and bad governance in world swimming and articulate the need for change.
The Horton-Yang feud has deep roots. At the 1994 World Swimming Championships the Chinese women won 12 of 16 events. Fans stopped standing for the Chinese anthem and coaches filed a complaint to FINA, the world swimming federation, demanding investigation. FINA sent a 3-person team to investigate China’s alleged doping regime coming home with nothing. Over 20 years later journalists exposed state-sponsored doping in China.
So, when FINA named Sun Yang “Swimmer of the Year” after his first anti-doping violation in 2014, world swimming was already wary. Yang’s first anti-doping violation was for a stimulant banned only in-competition. The problem was that his case looked like a cover up when the Chinese Anti Doping Authorities failed to disclose the violation until the 3 month ban was over.
China's Sun Yang, right, gestures to Britain's Duncan Scott following the medal ceremony in the men's 200m freestyle final. Source: AP
Tensions festered into 2016 when the International Olympic Committee passed the buck to sport federations on whether Russian athletes under the systemic doping regime should compete in Rio. FINA failed again. Notwithstanding damaging evidence in the infamous McLaren doping reports, FINA allowed Yulia Efimova to swim in Rio despite two anti-doping violations. Olympic gold winner American Lily King refused to shake Efimova’s hand after the race.
But the final push for Horton’s protest came in 2018, when Yang was involved in another alleged anti-doping violation. Yang not only refused to provide a urine sample during an unannounced test, but after producing a blood sample, he subsequently had the vile smashed with a hammer in protest over the credentials of the doping control officials. Despite what was a drama filled evening, the FINA Doping Panel found Yang had not committed a violation, handing him a warning. The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the FINA decision to the CAS, to be heard later this year. Swimmers have done less to attract more serious bans.
FINA’s disastrous handling of the Super Suit era in the 2000s coupled with its doping problem began a slow march by swimmers and coaches to make change. In 2015, the World Swimming Association was born “to address the failure of the existing world bodies to fairly, openly, and honestly administer our sport and provide for our athletes.”
Duncan Scott Britain refuses to participate in post swim photo. Source: EPA
By 2018, the International Swimming League (ISL) was founded and supports swimmers unionising. When FINA threatened swimmers with a two year ban if they swam in the first ISL competition, swimmers filed a US antitrust lawsuit against FINA.
I applaud these athlete activists. They now have the world’s attention. But they need to back it up. It is not enough to step aside when Yang is on the podium, Horton and Scott need to clearly articulate what they want. If it’s to truly revolutionize swimming, then tell us your demands.
