Sign up to Get FREE Steroids, SARMS, Peptides eBooks
Libby Trickett, the Australian retired competition swimmer, has remarked it is important for swimmers to adhere to anti-doping regulations despite the strict rules.
Few days back, three members of the Australian swimming team were reported to have breached the three-strike limit for failing to notify drug testers of their whereabouts within a period of 12 months.
Rio Olympians Madeline Groves, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, and Jarrod Poort are the three swimmers are under the spotlight for the wrong reasons. The failure to adhere to the whereabouts regulation is an offence that carries the prospect of a competition ban.
Fraser-Holmes was sixth in the 400m individual medley final in Rio, Groves won silver in the 200m butterfly and 4x100m medley relay in Rio, and Poort placed 21st in the 10km open water event.
The next step for the swimmers is expected to be a hearing involving legal representatives of the swimmers and FINA, the world governing body of swimming.
Under anti-doping regulations, athletes are required to provide whereabouts information for their location for one hour between 5am-11pm every day when they will be available for testing. Any athlete who incurs three declared missed tests in a period of 12 months may receive an anti-doping rule violation though athletes at the point of each missed test have the opportunity to put forward their reasons why they missed the test.
Australia's four-time Olympic gold medalist Trickett said swimmers must prioritize the requirement of drug testing in their training routine because failures can damage their and the sport's credibility. Trickett also said drug testing is such an essential part of sport to ensure that we are on a level playing field to ensure that we have clean competition. The retired swimmer also commented that it was a difficult situation for swimming administrators and said we in Australia have such pride in the fact that we are competing in clean sport.
Trickett went on to comment that you understand that it would be an accident with these guys and added there is no intention behind it but you do have to take responsibility. The former swimmer also said it does not seem like much, but to try and project where you might be can be quite difficult at times and also remarked you understand how easily it can happen but also as athletes we do understand what our rights and responsibilities are in terms of drug testing.
Trickett herself received two warnings in 2009 after the Beijing Olympics. Trickett, who retired at the end of 2009 before returning to the pool in time for the 2012 Olympics, said you do start to take the pressure off yourself in a post-Olympic year and said you might have some time off, you might be traveling, you might take a year off from swimming and for her that certainly played a part in her experience. The ex-swimmer said our squad was traveling a lot and plans could change quickly during that time. Trickett also commented that a competition ban would be too harsh a punishment for swimmers but added she would certainly some more education given to the athletes in terms of drug testing as a whole and make sure that you are diligent when you are filling out these forms.