A CONTROVERSIAL podium protest from Mack Horton deserves to have Australia behind him. We in Ballarat should perhaps acutely understand best.
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Horton refused to shake hands or to stand on the podium with Chinese swimming superstar Sun Yang, who won the men's 400-metre freestyle event at the world swimming championships in South Korea.
This is bold and on the surface appears completely disrespectful but we should applaud Horton for taking a stand in what he believes in - clean sport.
Ballarat race walker Jared Tallent has long been vocal in championing cleaning up fields in athletics. He created a global social media furore.
Tallent was most notably robbed of celebrations, potential sponsorship backing and, most importantly, credit for winning an Olympic gold medal in London 2012. He had his moment four years later, outside Melbourne Town Hall, on the eve of the Rio Olympics after a lengthy process that delivered him gold via the international Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
This is where Sun's case is headed for a hearing in September to answer charges of smashing vials of his blood with a hammer during a clash last year with testers.
FINA - swimming's world governing body - allowed Sun to compete the world titles while awaiting his CAS hearing.
You could argue innocent until proven guilty. Sun is set to face judgement.
You could argue Horton was publicly condemning the Chinese mega star. The pair have a long-running, public war of words in which Horton called the Chinese mega star a "drug cheat" ahead of their Rio Olympic showdown. Sun had served a three-month doping ban in 2014.
For Horton, this is about what is fair.
"Frustration is probably it. I think you know in what respect," Horton said after the race in South Korea. "I think you know what the rivalry is like. His actions - and how it's been handled - speak louder than anything I'll ever say."
I think you know what the rivalry is like. His actions - and how it's been handled - speak louder than anything I'll ever say.
We should, at the least, admire Horton's courage. Horton, like Tallent's social media campaign, are bravely creating disruption and sparking conversations that need to be had both at the highest levels of sport and in our everyday chatter in our schools, offices and sporting clubs.
Are the processes and levels of sporting scrutiny in place working? Are they fair?
Horton stood up for what he believed was fair and this has the backing from Dolphins head coach Jacco Verhaeren and team leader Cate Campbell, neither who claimed to have any prior knowledge of Horton's protest.
Tallent told The Courier in early 2016, before his elevation to gold, some major races you could just tell the field was tainted. Races when he was on course, pushing himself mental and physically, yet feeling the guy in front was not playing fair.
So he started to speak up.
As long as there is sport, there will be those who boldly try to cheat it. And we need courageous athletes to call this out.
It might not sit well with you, how Horton took action. Australians take great pride in good sportsman-like conduct. Not surprisingly, the backlash from Chinese fans has been vitriolic.
But Horton was genuine, he took an incredible risk and he got everyone talking.
That deserves our respect.
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