Aussie swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook at risk of sanction over banned move on podium at Olympics

Australian swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook has revealed he's weighing up some sort of protest at the Olympics amid the furore around Chinese athletes. Stubblety-Cook will defend his Olympic 200m breaststroke title at the Paris Games, and one of his main rivals will be Chinese world record holder Qin Haiyang.

But Qin is one of 23 Chinese swimmers under a massive cloud in Paris after they tested positive to a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but were still allowed to compete. World anti-doping authorities accepted China's excuse that the positive results came from swimmers eating contaminated food at a team hotel, and they were allowed to compete.

The situation only came to light last month, and sparked widespread backlash around the swimming world. However an independent panel ruled earlier this month that WADA acted accordingly when it allowed the Chinese swimmers to compete.

Normally, a positive result would spark a provisional suspension, and athletes would have to take their case before an appeals board to plead their innocence. Aussie swimmer Shayna Jack had a ban reduced from four to two years after proving she inadvertently ingested a banned substance, but she still missed the 2021 Olympics while she fought her case.

Zac Stubblety-Cook considering protest at Paris Olympics

Speaking in Paris on Thursday, Stubblety-Cook said he remains disappointed at revelations of the positive China drugs tests. "I absolutely believe in clean sport and I hope that this is a clean Games," he told reporters. "It's obviously disappointing to hear that news and hear about the pre-Tokyo 23 athletes testing positive, some multiple times.

"And for me, racing someone that was one of those athletes and finding out he was one of those athletes was disappointing. It's less about what country they came from and more about the system and how the system ultimately feels like it's failed. And that's the truth."

Stubblety-Cook was beaten by Qin in the 200m breaststroke final at last year's world championships in Japan, with the Chinese swimmer also setting a new world record. Retired Aussie swimmer Mack Horton famously refused to share the podium with tainted Chinese star Sun Yang at the 2019 world championships, and Stubblety-Cook admitted he's considering a similar move.

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Olympic committee rules permit athletes protesting on podium

The Aussie stopped short of saying he would do the same as Horton, but admitted he was considering some sort of protest. The International Olympic Committee's 'rule 50' allows athletes some freedom to express opinions on political or social issues, but protests on medal podiums or the field of play are strictly forbidden.

"Everyone probably is aware of rule 50 here and the repercussions that happen with that," Stubblety-Cook said. "I think potentially we could see protests in other events as well. Personally, I think I will make a decision probably on the day. At the end of the day, I'm a clean athlete and I'm trying to abide by those rules and I just hope my competitors do the same."

Meanwhile, World Anti Doping Agency president Witold Banka said doping could never be eradicated from sport. "It's obvious that you will never eliminate doping from the sporting landscape," Banka told reporters on Thursday. "You will always find someone who wants to cheat."

with AAP