By Tom Decent
New Swimming Australia boss Rob Woodhouse says Australian athletes need to be “very careful” if they are considering individual protests at the Olympic pool later this year after the Chinese doping scandal.
Following media investigations, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) last month confirmed that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive to small amounts of banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) leading up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Athletes were not provisionally suspended – nor handed long bans – because WADA accepted China’s explanation that samples had been contaminated in a kitchen where members of the team stayed during a camp. The results were not made public by the China Anti-Doping Agency.
Many of the same Chinese athletes will compete against Australia’s top swimmers at this year’s Olympics, starting in late July.
There is unrest among the Australian team and other swimmers around the world, leading to suggestions that some may consider protesting after their events.
Woodhouse, a two-time Olympian who started with Swimming Australia last month, said he hoped protests would not take place but did not rule out the possibility.
Qin Haiyang celebrates his 2023 world championship win against Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook in the men’s 200m breaststroke.Credit: Getty
“Personally, I would like to think that protests stay away from the Olympic podium and places like that but I have no issue with athletes having a voice,” Woodhouse said.
“I understand the athletes’ views as well, but the theme of the Olympics is all about unity and bringing the world together and bringing countries together.
“In my opinion, it’s a little different to the world championships and other events like that where there have been protests in the past. Protests as we know can lead to discrimination and other issues and can incite violence. It’s something that anyone needs to be very careful about.
“I believe the IOC has their own rules in regard to that. The athletes may or may not adhere to those rules.”
Australia’s Mack Horton refused to share the podium with Sun Yang at the 2019 world championships.Credit: AP
Asked if he would speak to athletes about the possibility of protests, Woodhouse said: “I won’t be saying anything to the swimmers in that regard. We actually haven’t discussed that at our high-performance level.”
Mack Horton famously protested on the medal podium at the 2019 world championships after China’s Sun Yang returned from a positive drug test.
The International Olympic Committee has strict rules that state athletes cannot participate in demonstrations on the field of play, during medal ceremonies, in the athletes village or during the opening and closing ceremonies.
Three years ago in Tokyo, rules were relaxed slightly to allow athletes to “express their views” before the start of competition.
“My first meetings with AOC [Australian Olympic Committee] are actually next week but I don’t imagine it’d be on the agenda but it might be,” Woodhouse said. “I’d be interested to hear their views and we’ll take them on board of course, but I don’t think that they would be doing that [telling athletes not to protest].”
Australia’s swimmers are focused on their training ahead of trials from June 10 to 15 but once on the Olympic team might think more about what happens when they arrive in Paris and race against the Chinese.
Reigning gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook lost his 200m breaststroke world record last year to China’s Qin Haiyang, who tested positive to TMZ in 2021 but was cleared to keep competing.
Woodhouse welcomed WADA’s announcement of an independent investigation that will analyse the case after widespread backlash from athletes and anti-doping agencies.
“It’s fair to say there is definitely disappointment and some anger from athletes, not just here in Australia, but around the world,” Woodhouse said. “We have probably seen athletes from elsewhere in the world be a bit more vocal about it.
“There’s probably a mix of some athletes who are ignoring it because all the athletes have a pretty heavy focus on what’s going to happen next month. They want to be concentrating on that. They don’t want this issue dominating their thoughts or preparation.
“Representing the athletes … [we have done what] we believe is taking the right steps in terms of initially calling for information and asking for WADA and the various authorities to provide that information.
“The bigger, longer-term push for us ... is for that call for greater transparency in these sorts of cases. Without that, if issues like this pop up from time to time, naturally athletes are just going to get fed up with it.”
Woodhouse, who is the uncle of Australia’s most decorated Olympian, Emma McKeon, said he was thrilled to take on the role of CEO.
“I’ve had a successful career in business but it’s been revolved around the sport,” Woodhouse said. “I’ve worked with swimmers [as an agent] and in swimming that whole time and also in media … since I retired from swimming myself. It was a pretty natural thing to come back.
“From what I saw and read and heard of some of the issues within the sport here in Australia … I think I can make a significant difference and make a contribution. There’s probably some skeletons and some issues that have happened in the past but for me, it’s all about learning from them.”
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