Nightmare. A miscarriage of justice. Shocked. Manifestly unfair. A tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. A Pandora’s box.
The reaction to this morning’s news that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned the AFL tribunal’s acquittal of 34 current and former Essendon players has sent shockwaves though the sporting world. The ruling transcends a sport confined in the most part to just one country, Australia, its repercussions setting a precedent for professional sport worldwide.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) yesterday announced that it had appealed the Australian Football League (AFL) Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal decision to clear Stephen Dank, the former sports scientist at Australian rules football club Essendon, of 21 charges of the league’s drug code. WADA Director General, David Howman, said in a statement that, ‘After a thorough examination of the evidence contained within the case file, WADA has decided to lodge its independent right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).’
Isabelle Westbury 