Swimmer Shayna Jack’s two-year doping ban to be appealed by Spots Integrity Australia

Sydney: Swimmer Shayna Jack’s two-year ban for doping will be appealed by Spots Integrity Australia. SIA chief executive David Sharpe said a statement of appeal was lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday and was based “on the need for clarity in the application of key anti-doping legal principles.” “Sport Integrity Australia will always act to ensure a level playing field for athletes,” Sharpe said. “In order to protect athletes and sporting competitions, we must have clarity and consistency in the application of the World Anti-Doping Code.” CAS last month imposed the two-year ban with its judge deciding that Jack didn’t intentionally ingest ligandrol, the banned substance, and considered that she had discharged her onus of proving that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional. Jack tested positive for the anabolic agent ahead of the 2019 world championships. An Australian sports tribunal previously recommended a four-year ban before CAS took on the case. The 22-year-old Jack, a four-time medalist in relays at the 2017 world championships, denied doping and said the positive test was caused by a contaminated supplement. The burden of proof is on athletes in anti-doping cases to show exactly how and when any contamination happened. Jack tested positive in an out-of-competition test in June 2019. The freestyle specialist was suspended from the Australian team and sent home from its pre-worlds training camp in Japan. SIA was established in July, taking over management of the former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. The World Anti-Doping Agency can also still choose to file a case seeking a longer ban.