The rules on strict liability required Park Tae-hwan to be smarter and more aware of what he was letting himself in for. Suspension was inevitable. At the same time, it is worth noting the difference between Park’s statement and apology today, his demeanour and apparent, some might say obvious, sincerity with which he spoke – and the reactions of other big names in a similar place of late. Good for Park. He faces a challenging time and many will never see him in the same light again. His courage and his words today may help ease the load.
If only others could do the same when falling foul of rules designed to ensure Fair Play, especially at a time when in the case of other high profile swimmers all we have seen is denial and a failure respect fellow competitors and to make any form of apology that would be heard by the wider world: indeed, Sun Yang accepted treatment on the poolside during the Asian Games in Incheon from the doctor banned for giving him a banned substance even though he knew that the doctor was serving a suspension.
For such dishonesty, Sun Yang was treated by WADA and FINA to acceptance of a three-month ban served entirely in secret last year, with no consequence to the swimmer whatsoever. Shame on him, shame on Dr Ba, and shame on those failing to enforce the WADA Code, including the CSA and FINA.