Australian swimming is under renewed pressure to better look after its athletes amid allegations of abusive training at an elite swim school.
The prestigious training program is accused of bullying students to the point where they quit or needed counselling.
Letters from parents complained of alleged humiliating public weigh-ins and some swimmers being taught how to ‘purge’ after meals.
Australian swimmer Shayna Jack faces a four-year ban after banned muscle booster Ligandrol was found in her drug test sample
The complaints came to light as Australian swimmer Shayna Jack faced a four-year ban after banned muscle booster Ligandrol was found in her drug test sample.
Her positive test, and the distress evident in her public statements afterwards, also highlighted Australia’s ‘win at all costs’ sporting culture.
‘It is part of a culture that’s very damaging and can cause real damage to kids out there train,’ sport presenter Erin Molan said on Weekend Today.
‘What are we doing with our kids now with sports. How far do we have to push them to achieve the nation’s pride?’
Molan said she understood sport was huge for Australia, but questioned whether damaging young people who weren’t old enough to make their own choices.
‘I think if young people want to do sport seriously there is a certain level of commitment and application that’s required of tough training and… you need to be very fit and they need to watch their diets and need to train hard,’ she said.
‘But to put a young child in an environment where they are being fat shamed… is totally unacceptable.
Sport presenter Erin Molan said swimming authorities needed to prepare athletes for handling life outside the pool better, and prevent abusive training practices
‘If your child was an in an environment, whether it is daycare or school or anything this, came home with regaling stories is of being fat shamed, as a parent would you not remove your child from the environment immediately?’
Fellow panelist Jan Fran said that many of the letters were likely anonymous because parents were too afraid to come forward.
Fran shifted the conversation to Swimming Australia’s handling of Jack’s positive drug test and how unprepared young athletes appeared to be for life.
‘It seems to be there is no nurturing for them, outside of do the lines, get back in the pool, get out, eat this, get back in the pool,’ she said.
‘This is why so many of them struggle post the swimming career as well, because all it is look at the line, swim hard, win for us.
‘But we don’t develop you really as a person and we don’t give you any other skill set apart from swim really fast. That’s a huge issue.
‘Once that is over, look at the issues so many of our retired athletes, NRL players AFL players have [after] leaving all they have known for so long.’
Jack faces a four-year ban after banned muscle booster Ligandrol was found in her drug test sample
Molan said swimming authorities needed to prepare athletes for handling life outside the pool better, and prevent abusive training practices.
‘I would like them to be far more adept how they handle the media, how they handle social media on this,’ she said.
‘Far more adept how they are coaching not just in the pool, but how they are coaching the mental wellbeing.
‘Because when stories like this come up today, everyone starts going, what’s happening with the swim culture in the country.’
Australian Olympic gold medalist Grant Hackett earlier defended Jack saying she wasn’t trained to speak to the media and swimming was her whole life.
He said that whatever knowledge Swimming Australia had about its athletes would always be found out and they needed to better ‘control the message’.
Hackett said the 20-year-old swimming star should be supported in her fight to regain her reputation.
‘For now, let’s support Shayna until we are given cause not to.’
Australian Olympic gold medalist Grant Hackett earlier defended Jack saying she wasn’t trained to speak to the media and swimming was her whole life
One of the letters from parents said two former students who were in their early teens were receiving treatment for anxiety, after their time at the swim club.
‘In the time I have been here, I am aware of at least three girl swimmers who left due to aspects of bullying and demands for results,’ an anonymous letter to Swimming Australia said, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The letter has since been supported by numerous other parents who said their children were also bullied and shamed for their body weight.
‘The girls, some just 14 and 15 years of age, had to weigh in on scales in front of everybody, and if you had put weight on, you were called fat,’ one mother said.
‘She had become quiet, she was miserable and crying all the time. Teachers would find her crying in the toilets. It was the workload, the pressure.’