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MELBOURNE - Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe is embroiled in a drug dilemma that contains no positive test and no allegation of cheating.
He is not accused of using a banned substance and he had not swum competitively for three months before the test was taken, hasn't done so since and will not do so again.
Despite all of that, there is no chance of him coming out of the affair with his reputation in the same, pristine condition it was last Friday and had been for the previous decade, even if he is completely cleared.
"It is already tarnished, it's as simple as that," Thorpe said.
"There's not going to be an ideal outcome to this."
Even if there is substance to the "adverse" test result which allegedly reveals an abnormally high level of testosterone and another naturally occurring hormone, Thorpe has been done over.
By leaking the test result to the French newspaper L'Equipe, someone has breached established protocols that are vital to the successful operation of drug testing.
The newspaper was also told that world swimming's governing body Fina has asked the Court For Arbitration For Sport to investigate the matter.
Thorpe believes the leak can only have come from within one of three organisations.
He wouldn't name them, but the possibilities are limited.
Despite the damage the publication of the L'Equipe story has done to the man who won five Olympic gold medals, 11 world titles, set 13 world records and became the greatest Australian swimmer of all time, Thorpe revealed new and impressive qualities.
Faced with having his life turned upside down, Thorpe displayed extraordinary dignity, calmness, control and determination at today's media conference.
He even managed some humour.
Thorpe offered the most convincing of assurances that he had never used banned drugs, he told of his distress that a matter supposed to be strictly confidential had been leaked to the media before he had been informed and he vowed to track down whoever was responsible.
"I have never cheated and have always complied with my obligation under the anti-doping code to the letter," Thorpe said.
"I have prided myself on this and my reputation as a fair competitor is the most valuable thing that I take out of my time in swimming.
"I am deeply alarmed that information about my test result was leaked to the press before I was informed."
As calmly as he spoke about his situation, Thorpe made his anguish and distress clear.
Immediately after being informed yesterday of the L'Equipe report, Thorpe said he had not known how to react.
"I sat in my room physically shaking. It was gut-wrenching," he said.
Thorpe recited clearly and precisely what had happened on his side of an affair that could end up either as a fiasco for Fina or a disaster for the 24-year-old Australian.
He had been tested at least twice last May and, until yesterday, had not heard a word about the result of those tests.
Thorpe said the paperwork that accompanied a test conducted by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) included a box which athletes could tick if they require a return letter even if a test result was negative.
He always ticks that box and assumes he received such a letter.
Under no circumstances did he receive a notification that there was any issue with his test.
Which leads to the difficulty with this whole affair: no one is saying Thorpe has tested positive to anything.
"ASADA were at pains to reassure me that I have not failed a drug test and they made it clear to me that any suggestion that is being made to this effect is just plain wrong," he said.
- AAP
