Swimming Australia has released a formal comment regarding the recent 12-month ban handed out to two-time Olympian Thomas Fraser-Holmes. As reported, Fraser-Holmes had missed three doping tests within a 12 month period, violating anti-doping whereabouts rules.
At the time the missed doping tests became known, Mark Anderson, CEO of Swimming Australia, commented:
“Both Swimming Australia and our athletes have been very clear on our position in relation to anti-doping both here in Australia and internationally. Each athlete is accountable and responsible for accurately providing their locations so testers can access them when required.”
Today, Swimming Australia states,
“Swimming Australia is aware that the FINA Doping Panel have conducted a hearing regarding Thomas Fraser-Holmes’ alleged whereabouts breaches and have announced a sanction of twelve months.
We have been informed that Thomas Fraser-Holmes will be appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as is his right.
We have no further comments at this stage of the process.”
Fraser-Holmes, who is currently in Monaco preparing to compete on the Mare Nostrum Tour, is said to be hopeful of getting the ban overturned.
If it stands, his 12-month suspension will have no impact on Australia’s World Championship roster, as Fraser-Holmes opted out of the Aussie Trials in April and, therefore, the World Championships.
12 months for violating whereabouts standard to take a test for this Aussie.
Less than this for a Russian testing positive for a second time.
FINA is a lighthouse for the shipwrecked.
That positive , presumably Efimova & the no longer important Meldonium , was dismissed in a blanket de banning act becoz WADA caught out .
It happens that politically motivated or just incompetent forensics are overturned . The much vaunted Sept 2016 release of re testing for Meldonium never surfaced .
With you 100% re the inconsistencies but conversely neither can I dredge up 1 iota of sympathy for TFH in this case. He’s not a rookie kid but a highly experience international who should not need a baby sitter to manage these responsibilities for him. I feel the time-out is completely warranted.
Agreed. 12 months is perfectly reasonable for missing three tests, IMO, and it is absurd that there are multiple athletes who have gotten less than a year for actually testing positive.
I concur with you all the way. Missing a drug test isn’t trivial, and here it happened 3 times. That certainly merits some sanction. The inconsistency of sanctions isn’t really a remaining point. FINA is plainly in the midst of a service to masters. Money masters. It’s a stain on the sport the way FINA has patronized state bad actors. I’m still full of rage over the race conditions they allowed which led to the Fran Crippen tragedy.