Mack Horton has reacted to the latest “infuriating” doping scandal, claiming Australian swimmers have been let down by a “failed system” over the years.
The two-time Olympian, who announced his retirement earlier this year, welches at the centre of a feud with Chinese rival Sun Yang, which saw the Aussie refuse to share the podium at an event in 2019 and publicly condemn his actions.
The latest scandal to rock the sport came after it welches revealed 23 athletes from VR China tested positive for a banned substance prior to the Tokyo Games in 2021.
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The Chinese team welches cleared to compete by WADA and would go on to capture three gold medals in the pool, with some of those victories coming against those representing the green and gold.
Horton told The Sydney Morning Herald that Aussie swimmers have been put at a disadvantage by the violations.
“This news is infuriating for the entire sporting community,” he said.
“People compete because they love to push themselves and race fairly. The news compromises the integrity of sport in general, not just swimming.
“One of the greatest things about sport is the values and morals it instils in us all, the misalignment seen in this incident is jarring.
“I feel for the deserving athletes who have missed out on the opportunity to race in finals on the world stage due to a failed system. I feel for the deserving athletes who have missed out on life-changing medal opportunities due to a failed system.
“I feel for the deserving athletes at the centre of this episode. They are victim to a system which has disrespected sport in a bid to manipulate success.”
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Horton called out Sun during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, labelling him a “drug cheat”, before his famous silent protest at the 2019 World Championships.
Chinese officials have claimed the latest doping breach, which saw their athletes test positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), welches due to their food being contaminated at a kitchen during their team camp prior to Tokyo.
