Has Australia had enough of scandal? Swimming is the latest sport to cross the divide from the back to the front page of the paper and have the tag of ‘crisis’ tacked on to every report.
James Magnussen, Eamon Sullivan, Tommaso D’Orsogna, Cameron McEvoy, James Roberts and Matt Targett fronted a jam-packed news conference yesterday to profess their guilt, regret and remorse over a bonding session at a Manchester staging camp before the team moved into the Olympic village in London.
The general response on social media, usually the domain of outrage, was a long yawn.
The six relay swimmers had just come from watching Batman at the movies, and were sitting down to dinner. Five of the six swimmers took a Stilnox tablet, with Roberts deciding it wasn’t for him.
They proceeded to knock on a few doors, make some prank calls, and were tucked up in bed by 10:30pm.
The last part of the story has been disputed by teammates, with Emily Seebohm revealing that her phone went off up to an hour after that.
Either way, head coach Leigh Nugent was told of the childish behaviour, and decided not to take action against any of the swimmers. His judgement has now been seriously called into question.
Why is this a big issue?
Stilnox was banned by the Australian Olympic Committee prior to the games after Grant Hackett detailed how the powerful sleeping tablet had an adverse effect on him. While the relay swimmers aren’t guilty of taking a banned substance, they were in breach of an AOC rule that prohibited its use.
Their admission came hot on the heels of a review into the culture and leadership of the Olympic swimming team in London.
It didn’t make for pretty reading for those running the sport. The report called the culture “toxic” and painted a picture of a squad which, at times, resembled a schoolyard clamour for attention.
The world championships will be held in Barcelona in July and the team will come together once again. Unity will be difficult with swimmers contesting each other’s versions of events and the head coach’s leadership coming into question.
So, is it a crisis?
The start of the sporting year has been plagued by a vague Australian Crime Commission report into drugs in sport that left many fans annoyed. Tar met brush so often there should’ve been a worldwide shortage of both.
You could fill several notebooks with questions that remain unanswered, and a resolution won’t be forthcoming any time soon due to the nature of ASADA’s investigative process.
Now, we have some of Australia’s best swimmers confessing to a few childish games and a legal sleeping pill.
The low-key reaction to the swimmers’ public admission combined with the frustration surrounding the holes in the ACC report suggests that the average sports fan instantly develops a glazed look whenever the word ‘crisis’ is used.
Do you just not care anymore, or has the designation ‘crisis’ been set a lower benchmark than ever before?
Wal
Roar Guru
The Only problem with "few childish games and a legal sleeping pill" is 3 fold 1. If you are on the end of those childish games, - bullying - it can be terrifying. If you are a new member of the team, already having trouble fitting in these sorts of "Team bonding" sessions could severely dent your confidence, not ideal just before a one in 4 year event. 2. The Legal Pill was openly banned by their employer, my employers stipulate I am not to consume alcohol in the work place, still a legal substance, but I know and respect that directive, or I lose my job simple. 3. Their employer is effectively the Australian public, and if they even remotely effected their or someone else's ability to perform this Tax payer is not impressed.
Luke Doherty
Roar Guru
Thanks for the comments everyone. Tomorrow I've got a column up regarding what we actually want from our Olympians. Whether it is just to compete or to win medals. Cheers.
Luke Doherty
Roar Guru
Hi Fuss and Rabbitz, infact if you read some of my other columns I've called the report quite serious. I was merely trying to say that the public reaction to several things chucked in the crisis category has now changed to a big yawn. I believe the public (not you two of course) has largely forgotten that there is a classified version and are getting tired of reports and scandals and the rest of it. Cheers.
Luke Doherty
Roar Guru
Valid point. They were always going to be damned if they did and damned if they didn't.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Fuss, Unfortunately Luke has decide to run the tabloid "journalism" line on this one. My fear is that the actual report, when it gets released, will name names and all of the "journo's" will have to then make a decision, do they try and run the guilty out of town or do they get on their high horse about how "OUR" athletes would never do these sorts of thing. The trouble is most of them will try and do both.
John 360180
Guest
A horrible culture seams to have infected what was one of our proudest teams. Complete clean out from the top down needs to happen immeadiatley. If we don't have our previous success at a Olympics or two sobeit. I for one want men proud to represent their Country not spoilt brats and bullys.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"a vague Australian Crime Commission report into drugs in sport ... surrounding the holes in the ACC report" What's frustrating, for me, is that people - who should know better - still don't understand that the ACC Report that was disseminated for public viewing is the UNclassified report. Unclassified means all the important bits have NOT been revealed. The CLASSIFIED REPORT identifies individuals - players, coaches, medical staff, etc. - who are complicit in the use of illicit &/or PIEDs in sport. People, who have read the classified report - VicPol, the CEOs of the sporting codes - have stated they're horrified by the extent of the problem. In particular, the use of illicit drugs - cocaine, ecstasy, ICE, marijuana - by athletes from 2 sporting codes has created an unholy alliance between organised crime & professional sportsmen.
Adam
Guest
People complained that we wanted names so that all athletes were not tarred with the same brush by the ACC. Then Swimming Australia names and shames and some people think the swimmers were harshly treated....
YaThink
Guest
The whole press conference was a joke. I seriously wonder what really went on over there in London and doubt very much that is going to happen as it seems the Australian Press have been conned by the Classic Teenage ploy of copping to a lesser crime so no-one looks further. Seriously as the mother of a teenager, just the look in their eyes, the way they said it, the way they were all on relatively the same page with Mags obviously running the show & terribly nervous that the strategy may not work? Hopefully someone in swimming Australia really does take what they have found in the reports seriously, obviously will have to be someone higher up as what we saw was rubbish. You only have to have watched a few Olympics to see the difference in this team and I don't mean in the pool. A few days in we were commenting about the lack of support from other swimmers in the stands while certain swimmers were swimming. Gee, it was not that long ago that someone would be in their first ever games, no-one knows there name, yet huge squad of fellow swimmers all there cheering them on. See much of that in London? Only few you did on a regular basis was likes of Tricket & Jones, classier older swimmers. I think Swimming Australia have let the shiny young things take over :(
Jason
Guest
Todd Balym wrote an article in the Sunday Telegraph - "Women athletes won't be silenced" Here's the link: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/women-athletes-wont-be-silenced/story-e6freuy9-1226584245154
Hughster
Guest
Coates will blame it on the Crawford report....if the olympic team got more money they could afford to have segregated accommodation and their own saloon for bonding.
Hughster
Guest
Hijinks .... whatever. Do what you want and take your own risks, however to harass or irritate other members of the team during the most important competition of their careers is not excusable at any level. Stupid and arrogant behaviour.
Ever100
Guest
I think the only story here was the same one played out in London. The male swimming squad did not behave as a team. Magnusson acted like he was a superstar and when the bubble burst he behaved like a big sook. Has he always been this way? The effort and sacrifices that swimmers put in over many years has been well documented but its a shame that humility and team work seem to have been lost along the way. D'arcy seems to have had a similar attitude. The childish use of the "Social Network" was gold for the tabloid press. Alarm bells should have been screaming at our Olympic officials. The distraction of Ian Thorpe's strange behaviour also showed that the games were being hijacked by pesonalities. There is much to be learnt from these games and getting back to basics would be a good start.
Bigjohn
Guest
When the press conference was called, I thought it would be to announce that Nugent was resigning, or had been sacked. He was less than truthful about what he knew, and what he did about it , which was nothing at all. If I lied to my manager, I would be out in the carpark looking confused in about two minutes.
BA Sports
Guest
rudeness runs in his family...
Badjack
Guest
I loved the aggressive questioning of Jin Wilson. Can someone on this site tell me what this guy has achieved in life except for being a sanctimonious reporter.
langou
Roar Guru
I think the issue is that after 4 years of training they decide that 2 days out from an event is a good time to 'party'. Sure it was lame by some standards but when you are supported by taxpayers money and have the honour of representing your country surely you can wait until after the event to act like dckheads(I dont think anyone would have a problem if they did so). If you do decide that 2 days prior to an event is a good time to do all this, well don't wake up others who also have to compete. In a sport that is decided by a few split seconds, getting woken up and having your sleep interupted could be the difference.
B.A Sports
Guest
Australian Swimming was treating them like murderers - quite the contrary. Swimming Australia president Barclay Nettlefold started the press conference by saying "we are here today to commend these boys for coming forward"...
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
Isn't one the major issues here that this has been via taxpayer funding .... Joe public wouldn't give a toss otherwise - but once these clowns start hoovering up the public purse and then, when its business time, they start to treat it as a school camp - it then becomes a different issue ... Yesterday looks like a snow job and as Jason above points out there are still unanswered questions ... and I've no doubt there still more to run with this especially as the women's point of view (who have actually been holding up their end of the bargain over the last few major events) appear to be being ignored
Hansie
Guest
What annoys me about this whole episode isn't so much the behaviour on the night - sure it was lame, childish and inappropriate, but I've seen worse - but the lying and weaving ever since (Jason above points out a few of the contradictions). I think the swimmers would find the episode would got away a lot faster if they opened up and told the truth from the start.