Harness racing officials sue media company over doping articles

Two senior harness racing officials filed a defamation lawsuit in the Federal Court last month against a media company. The suit alleges that articles published in The Daily Telegraph, The Australian and Code Sports exposed the officials to hatred, ridicule and contempt.

The articles accused the officials of failing to notify trainers that a popular livestock medication had become contaminated with levamisole, a prohibited stimulant. As a result of the contamination, several trainers were suspended or disqualified under the sport's doping rules.

The officials claim the reporting held them responsible for the regulatory failure and portrayed them as indifferent to the livelihoods of participants, including a former firefighter who was banned for life.

The media company has filed a defense arguing the articles were substantially true and protected by a public interest defense. Court documents state that the regulator detected the contamination in July 2025 but did not notify the industry for more than two months.

The company submitted that the articles concerned a statutory body responsible for regulating harness racing and the serious consequences of disqualification for affected trainers. It also noted that the journalist spoke with dozens of industry figures, including three anonymous sources.

The case references an earlier 2011 scandal in which corrupt stewards allegedly tipped off trainers about drug tests, leading to criminal charges and bans. The company argued that some in the industry viewed the regulator's subsequent enforcement measures as overly harsh.