Australia to review London swim shame
Australia will review the disappointing performance of its much-heralded swimming team at the London Olympics, officials said on Monday, as they acknowledged the world had “lifted the bar”.
Australia won one gold medal, six silver and three bronze in the pool in London — their lowest tally since Barcelona in 1992. They were also without an individual gold medallist for the first time since the 1976 Montreal Games.
The sole gold came in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
“We must do everything possible to get Australian swimming back on top,” Swimming Australia president David Urquhart said in announcing the wide-ranging review.
“This is not a time for blame and scape-goating, this is an opportunity to make the changes required to rise to the international challenge.”
Urquhart said the review will be independent and conducted by experienced coach Bill Sweetenham and former Olympic champion Susie O’Neill, who has blamed the poor showing on a lack of discipline compared to countries such as China.
“What I’ve been hearing… is the work ethic from Australian swimmers is maybe not the same as it used to be 10 years ago,” O’Neill said last week.
“Talent gets you this far in an Olympics; work ethic gets you across the line… it’s one part talent, it’s four parts work ethic.”
Urquhart said much had been said “by people here in London and back at home about our overall medal performance”.
“While everyone is entitled to their own view, no one should doubt the commitment or effort of our swimmers,” he said.
“All of them are proud to represent their country and have done their best in an incredibly competitive swim meet.
“It is clear the world has lifted the bar when it comes to swimming and so must we.”
The review, designed to help Swimming Australia prepare for the Commonwealth Games 2014 and the 2016 Olympics in Rio, will focus on its high-performance programmes and administration.
“We are a proud swimming nation, we have a proud history and have the swimming talent and coaches to be the best in the world,” Urquhart said.
“I am very proud of our swimmers and I am confident they will come back stronger in the future,” he added.
Australia’s head swim coach Leigh Nugent, accused by his predecessor Don Talbot of being too soft on his swimmers, has said he believes the team can bounce back in time for the next Olympics.
Before London Nugent had predicted Australia could win between 13 and 15 medals in the pool — below Australia’s stellar campaign at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when it won 18 medals, five of them gold.
But world champion James Magnussen lost out on Olympic gold by one-hundredth of a second in the 100m freestyle final while Australia failed to win a medal in the 4x100m men’s freestyle relay.
© AFP 2013The Crowd Says (6) | Page 1 of Comments
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August 7th 2012 @ 4:01am
leno said | August 7th 2012 @ 4:01am | Report comment
Can`t we count the woman 4×100 as four gold medals or is that not PC.
August 7th 2012 @ 11:57am
Betty B said | August 7th 2012 @ 11:57am | Report comment
One has to question the coaching surely? Magnussen, at age 20, was told he was the best and he believed it. His psychology looked astray, his race technique looked astray (he won the race but lost the touch), and the whole team fell down with him. He was the only potential champion on the team (barring Steph Rice but she had massive injuries to overcome) and the one who needed to drag the team through – but he was just 21 and at his first olympics. Destined to fail, with all that media talk and self-belief.
But we shouldn’t overlook some pretty good swims by many of the others, Melanie Schlanger in particular, plus Seebohm, Coutts and several other girls. These may well have been gold if they had a champion on the team to drag them through, but their champion was caught out very early in the relay.
And we need some distance swimmers. Now!
August 7th 2012 @ 4:15pm
Pope Paul VII said | August 7th 2012 @ 4:15pm | Report comment
Great Swimming coaches undoubtably but they are sleep deprived and vague at best and bonkers generally when it comes to management of their charges, PR and media. Apparently they didn’t even employ a sports psychologist. To take nothing away from their competitors it seems the Aussie team was unprepared for the shock of world competition.
August 7th 2012 @ 8:35pm
SandBox said | August 7th 2012 @ 8:35pm | Report comment
Looks like the truth about our swimmers is starting to come out. The foam of the sh!at floats to the top, and these managers are the most putrid of foam
“The Swimmers Association is incensed at bonuses Swimming Australia’s executives have awarded themselves in recent years.
And unlike tough performance hurdles forced on swimmers before the games, Kevin Neil secured himself a lucrative five-year contract extension that swimmers believe to be worth about $340,000 a year.
Coach Leigh Nugent has also had his contract extended until the next Olympics.
Today, the executives tried to change Swimming Australia’s constitution to extend the term of president David Urquhart.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-07/athletes2c-supporters-in-bitter-battle-with-swimming-australia/4183402
August 7th 2012 @ 10:33pm
The People said | August 7th 2012 @ 10:33pm | Report comment
Appaulling! It is the Swimmers as much as it is the the coaching and management. Discipline is not getting on the front cover of a magazine, an add on television or radio and it’s definately not going to parties while the rest of the Australian Olympians are contesting for medals. Team means a group that works “TOGETHER”. You swimmers are the Anna Kournikova’s of the olympics.
You don’t cry because you didn’t get a gold metal your not at home now where your parents never say no and always give you what you want you spoilt brats. You get in there and you tell everyone it’s not over and you keep going and support the rest of the team no matter what sport there in. Our taxes are paying for you to work and as a tax payer I think you swimmers should be focussed on what your being payed for.
Anyway on the upside it’s good to see the Olympians giving all. Maybe we should sack the swimming team and produce new ones to join the Olympic Team as you guys are just greedy media attention sooks!
August 8th 2012 @ 7:59am
SandBox said | August 8th 2012 @ 7:59am | Report comment
partly agree, but rotten people at the top make a big difference.
A coach in a football code would get sacked for this. If the players are spoilt, then he will get the chop when they start to lose games.
Instead, in swimming, we see the people at the top getting extended contracts and pay rises.
“Our taxes are paying for you to work and as a tax payer I think you swimmers should be focussed on what your being payed for.”
This is of course true, but also applies to Swimming Australia coaches and managers – the ones who have their snouts in the trough