Originally published by Lachlan McKirby of The Gold Coast Bulletin
06.06.2026
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Shayna Jack believes the Glasgow Commonwealth Games next month are the “perfect opportunity to change the story” and reclaim the narrative for clean athletes after last month’s unsuccessful Enhanced Games in the US.
The Enhanced Games offered up to US$25 million in prize money for a variety of disciplines, including swimming, where athletes were legally allowed to take performance-enhancing drugs to break world records.
In the end, only one record was broken, with many swimmers, including Australia’s James Magnussen, producing times slower than their personal bests.
After her own experiences, Jack has been a vocal supporter of keeping athletes clean in sport.
The 27-year-old tested positive for the banned substance Ligandrol in 2019, but successfully fought her four-year suspension, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport finding she did not intentionally ingest the drug.
During a press conference for next week’s Australian swim trials in Sydney, Jack said she would be putting the Enhanced Games behind her, with a clear focus for herself and other Commonwealth Games hopefuls on representing “clean athletes”.
“We do want that positive support, because we are supporting the clean athletes. We aren’t encouraging the other opportunities that are out there that are not clean, that are not appropriate, that are not shining a light on the hard work that we as athletes are doing.
“We do want to represent at the Commonwealth Games coming up, and it’s a perfect opportunity to change the story.”
Jack hasn’t been the only Aussie swimmer to convey disappointment with the Enhanced Games.
Olympic gold medallist Cam McEvoy had his 50m freestyle world record broken by Kristian Gkolomeev during the Enhanced Games, but was quick to respond with his amusement at the event.
“Seriously?! That’s all you got?!” he posted on Instagram.
Gkolomeev made US$1 million for breaking McEvoy’s world record.
Jack made no secret of the fact that, with the cost of living, “everybody wants a pay rise”, but she also conceded that the lack of funding in swimming meant that without external support, most athletes wouldn’t be able to compete.
“In all honesty, without the Hancock Prospecting swimmer support scheme and how long Ms Rinehart has supported the athletes, I wouldn’t even potentially be here,” Jack said.
“With the cost of living, people are not able to do what they want to do, and swimming is something that we love to do. It’s a sport we’ve grown up doing. But eventually, people have to make a decision, so without her, how long is their longevity in the sport?
“I learned the hard way when I was banned from the sport. It was a scary situation where you no longer had the sport, no longer had your identity as an athlete.
“For me, it’s continuing to build those opportunities, and next week hopefully getting on the Commonwealth Games team.”
