In light of the fact Australian swimmer Thomas Fraser-Holmes was slapped with a 12-month ban for having missed 3 drug tests, Swimming Australia notified the swimmer last week that he could no longer be a part of the Australian Team. As we reported, in addition to having financial payments cut-off and being restricted from training under the guidance of an ASCTA Accredited Coach, Fraser-Holmes was also sent home from the team hotel in Monaco where he was staying with the intention of competing at the first stop of the 2017 Mare Nostrum Series.
Now fellow Swimming Australia Dolphin national team squadmates are vocalizing their disappointment with how Fraser-Holmes was treated by their nation’s swimming organization. The Daily Telegraph reports that, at a team meeting held in Europe, “The swimmers were uncomfortable in seeing one of their teammates being treated like this.”
A source present at the meeting told The Daily Telegraph how fellow swimmers were surprised, “That he was banished from the team aggressively. The team was in shock that this would happen, that this is how Swimming Australia is dealing with the matters like these.
“The likes of team leader Cate Campbell expressed extreme disappointment with Swimming Australia’s handling of the matter, it was sense of: ‘Is this what we have to look forward to if we make a mistake’?”
Aussie teammate Madi Groves continues to train and compete, including at the Mare Nostrum serie, with a possible suspension hanging in the balance due to her also missing 3 drug tests. Open water Olympian Jarrod Poort is also in the same boat as Groves with no word yet on his case’s outcome.
All this does is water down the real discussion on drugs in sport. The reason behind the onerous testing procedures or protocols on athletes.
This cheap chest beating got you moment has done nothing other than effect the development, performance and profile of a clean athlete.
After the decision was made by WADA / FINA SAL’s action to remove Tommy from the Team is in keeping with Australia’s commitment to the broader policies. However the professionalism and respect they afforded Tommy leaves many people questioning why we as a nations are employing such weak and incompetent administrators within Australian Swimming.
1. Were you cocky and think he wasn’t going to get suspended
2. Did you have… Read more »
All this does is water down the real discussion on drugs in sport. The reason behind the onerous testing procedures or protocols on athletes.
This cheap chest beating got you moment has done nothing other than effect the development, performance and profile of a clean athlete.
After the decision was made by WADA / FINA SAL’s action to remove Tommy from the Team is in keeping with Australia’s commitment to the broader policies. However the professionalism and respect they afforded Tommy leaves many people questioning why we as a nations are employing such weak and incompetent administrators within Australian Swimming.
1. Were you cocky and think he wasn’t going to get suspended
2. Did you have… Read more »
Anybody knows the period of time over which the three drug tests were missed?
Miss one – problem. Miss 3 – willful ignorance. These rules are there for a reason. Don’t miss drug tests. Don’t forget the sanctions that can be placed on a Federation if they have multiple misses from multiple competitors. The Aussies did the right thing.
‘Is this what we have to look forward to if we make a mistake’
YES. So don’t make such mistakes.
It sure sounds like she doesn’t take the infraction very seriously, which casts some doubt on her commitment to clean sport.
oz swimmers moaning and disgruntled. looking likely to be another poor summer for them.
Keep dreaming.
There is clearly problem with inconsistency when it comes to doping offences (which this falls under despite the absence of a positive test). On one hand I struggle with the fact that TFH has been banned for longer than someone who’s actually returned a positive test, and has been proven to cheat. On the other hand, the implication of 3 missed tests has to be that the individual has been avoiding being tested and is therefore also a cheat. These guys may well have been unlucky (and to be honest it sounds to me like they are guilty of no more than being careless), but there has to be some kind of deterrent effect otherwise there would be no reason… Read more »
I’m not sure how I feel about a 12 month ban for 3 missed tests, in some ways I think that could be very motivational to make sure people actually get tested. However I don’t agree that someone who misses a test gets a 12 month ban while people who actually get caught doping serve a short 3 month ban and get it kept quiet until months afterwards (like has happened recently with another Chinese swimmer). How can there not be stricter punishments for actually cheating compared with a situation where there was the potential to cheat? Fina needs to sort it out, things like this should be consistent for all countries.
I think there are two separate issues in play, both of which are serious but need to be seen as separate from each other.
FINA stands rightly accused of selective amnesia as well as inconsistency of penalties when it comes to doping …. no one is debating that. FINA, and national bodies, needs to get its act together and enforce the correct sanctions for whatever doping infractions and, if there ARE any mitigating circumstances that may impact on any reduction in sanctions. there must be full and frank disclosure of such.
These cases of AUS swimmers relate to a different offence, that of missing 3 tests in a calendar year; a lesser offence in the scheme of things but still… Read more »
It is harsh to give a 12 month ban for 3 missed tests, but that is by design is it not? Without such strict punishments what would stop anyone just not turning up to their drug tests and getting shorter bans compared to if they actually did. The only way to route out cheating is to be harsh, and if that sometimes sweeps up people who don’t take drugs but have run afoul of the rules I’d say it’s worth it in the long run. Exceptions just provide people a way out in the future.