AN independent review commissioned by Swimming Australia in the wake of the disappointing 2012 London Games is damning in its findings of the sport.
The report highlighted a failure of culture and leadership and the creation of “toxic” environment in which winning wasn't everything - it was the only thing.
The review by Melbourne consultant Dr Pippa Grange and commissioned by Swimming Australia claimed “the most significant issue in swimming was the quietly growing lack of focus on people across the board”.
As a result of a failure of leadership and of team culture, swimmers felt they were less members of an Australian Olympic team and more individuals pursuing their own goals and objectives, often feeling neglected or shut out.
“Swimmers described these Games as the lonely Olympics and the individual Olympics,” the report said.
The review cited incidents of “getting drunk, misuse of prescription drugs, breaching curfews, deceit, bullying”.
“Situations were left to bleed with not enough follow through for fear of disrupting preparation for competition,” the report said.
“Although few situations relating to London reported through this review were truly grave in nature, they compounded in significance as no one reigned in control.”
The report noted that swimmers were praised for a win and Australia only won a solitary gold medal in the pool in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay or their performances were met with silence.
“People felt the failure very keenly while they were still in the midst of performance. It was a contagious feeling that had a high impact on the mood,” the report said.
“Some athletes let their emotion play out as bravado, withdrawal, disinterest and sulking. This tension was not nipped in the bud ... indeed it was heightened with scuttlebutt and assumptions and diagnoses of doom from the media and the pool deck; things aren't going well.”
The report found the “glorification of a few was seen somewhere between embarrassing and irritating to other team members”.
“One person said he felt that it was not really about whether you swam your heart out, it was about whether you could sell your heart out,” it said.
The report said some older athletes saw the storm brewing and attempted to intervene, but their attempts were seen as being negative and criticising.
“Some individual incidents of unkindness, peer intimidation, hazing and just bad form as a team member that were escalated to personal coaches were not addressed and had no further consequence.”
Head coach Leigh Nugent and some support staff didn't hear about most of the incidents until they returned to Australia.
“Athletes felt disconnected from the head coach, and their sense of duty was localised,” it said.
“Things were managed quietly rather than brought to a head and several examples of coaches passing over the responsibility for hard conversations were given.”
Australian swimmers won just one gold, six silver and three bronze medals at the London Olympics, the lowest return at the pool since the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The swim team entered London amid claims of schoolboy pranks at a lead-in camp, with allegations that senior members of the men's 4x100m freestyle relay team devised an initiation ritual involving taking the prescription sleeping pill Stillnox on a bonding night.
The review recommended creating an ethical framework for Australian swimming - a position of what the sport, governing body and athletes won't stand for, and also stated goals and values.
The review also said internal codes of conduct for swimmers, coaches and staff be updated with reference to team rules at camps and events.
There also should be clear processes designed for managing issues around standards and expectations.
“There is a dire need to develop and enable leadership throughout swimming,” said the report, recommending multi-faceted leadership development programs for athletes.
And the head coach should also undergo an intensive “coach-the-coach” leadership program lasting at least three months.
The report highlighted a failure of culture and leadership and the creation of “toxic” environment in which winning wasn't everything - it was the only thing.
The review by Melbourne consultant Dr Pippa Grange and commissioned by Swimming Australia claimed “the most significant issue in swimming was the quietly growing lack of focus on people across the board”.
As a result of a failure of leadership and of team culture, swimmers felt they were less members of an Australian Olympic team and more individuals pursuing their own goals and objectives, often feeling neglected or shut out.
“Swimmers described these Games as the lonely Olympics and the individual Olympics,” the report said.
The review cited incidents of “getting drunk, misuse of prescription drugs, breaching curfews, deceit, bullying”.
“Situations were left to bleed with not enough follow through for fear of disrupting preparation for competition,” the report said.
“Although few situations relating to London reported through this review were truly grave in nature, they compounded in significance as no one reigned in control.”
The report noted that swimmers were praised for a win and Australia only won a solitary gold medal in the pool in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay or their performances were met with silence.
“People felt the failure very keenly while they were still in the midst of performance. It was a contagious feeling that had a high impact on the mood,” the report said.
“Some athletes let their emotion play out as bravado, withdrawal, disinterest and sulking. This tension was not nipped in the bud ... indeed it was heightened with scuttlebutt and assumptions and diagnoses of doom from the media and the pool deck; things aren't going well.”
The report found the “glorification of a few was seen somewhere between embarrassing and irritating to other team members”.
“One person said he felt that it was not really about whether you swam your heart out, it was about whether you could sell your heart out,” it said.
The report said some older athletes saw the storm brewing and attempted to intervene, but their attempts were seen as being negative and criticising.
“Some individual incidents of unkindness, peer intimidation, hazing and just bad form as a team member that were escalated to personal coaches were not addressed and had no further consequence.”
Head coach Leigh Nugent and some support staff didn't hear about most of the incidents until they returned to Australia.
“Athletes felt disconnected from the head coach, and their sense of duty was localised,” it said.
“Things were managed quietly rather than brought to a head and several examples of coaches passing over the responsibility for hard conversations were given.”
Australian swimmers won just one gold, six silver and three bronze medals at the London Olympics, the lowest return at the pool since the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The swim team entered London amid claims of schoolboy pranks at a lead-in camp, with allegations that senior members of the men's 4x100m freestyle relay team devised an initiation ritual involving taking the prescription sleeping pill Stillnox on a bonding night.
The review recommended creating an ethical framework for Australian swimming - a position of what the sport, governing body and athletes won't stand for, and also stated goals and values.
The review also said internal codes of conduct for swimmers, coaches and staff be updated with reference to team rules at camps and events.
There also should be clear processes designed for managing issues around standards and expectations.
“There is a dire need to develop and enable leadership throughout swimming,” said the report, recommending multi-faceted leadership development programs for athletes.
And the head coach should also undergo an intensive “coach-the-coach” leadership program lasting at least three months.
