Olympic legend Michael Phelps launches brutal attack on ‘broken USA Swimming'

7NEWS

3 days ago

Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps has blasted USA Swimming, saying the sport is in decline and the problem is 'poor leadership' at every level.
Phelps used the Paris Olympics as a recent example of his country's struggles, despite the fact that USA narrowly beat Australia in the medal tally in the pool.
Phelps noted that Team USA won only 44 per cent of the medals they had the opportunity to win, 'the lowest percentage the sport had seen since the 1988 Olympics'.
'There have always been cracks in the system but in the last nine years, I've seen those cracks grow,' Phelps posted.
He said in 2016 the US team in Rio won 57 per cent of the medals it had the opportunity to win and he was wondering what had 'changed in our sport'.
'And the answer is clear,' Phelps said.
'This isn't on the athletes as they continue to do the best they can with what they've been given. This is on the leadership of USA Swimming. Poor leadership trickles down and can impact an organization at every level.'
He said people may not agree with his perception, but he was glad that the discourse was forcing a bigger conversation.
'First, I must be clear that I have the utmost respect for the US swimmers that competed at the World Championships. My criticism is in no way directed at them — I know how hard they work and how honoured they are to represent the US National Team. My criticism is about the system, its leadership, and how it's failing,' he said.
'I spent most of my life inside of a system that is supposed to support athletes. I gave it my everything, but I often felt that my voice went unheard. I was told to be grateful for the chance to compete and that it was more important to stay quiet and to keep the peace.
'I spoke up earlier this year when I sent a letter to USA Swimming. It was also shared with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. It addressed many of my frustrations with the current state of the sport and was signed and supported by former Olympic medallists, world record holders, members of the coaching community, and current and previous staff members of USA Swimming.
'That letter seemed to fall on deaf ears. No one really wants to talk about how broken USA Swimming has become.
'But, if we don't talk about it, it won't get fixed.
'Money is a factor. But poor operational controls and weak leadership are a cornerstone of the sport's problems.
'I've watched too many teammates struggle to compete in a sport they love without the support they need. I've also seen the sport struggle to return its membership numbers to pre-pandemic levels, and I'm done pretending this system works just because it produces medals.
'Swimming to me was always about more than just medals – it's supposed to be an environment that builds champions in and out of the pool.
'As a dad to four young boys, it pains me to say that I'm not sure I'd want my sons to be a part of this sport at a competitive level. Yes, swimming changed my life, but it also causes a lot of heartache, and its current state makes me both sad and angry.
'I want to see this sport flourish and I want to be a part of the solution. I've always said that I wanted to change the sport of swimming in the US and that sentiment still holds true.'
Phelps, now 40, is Olympics royalty. The Flying Fish won a staggering 23 gold medals at the Games, to go with his 27 World Championship titles (including one short-course crown).
In the recent World Champs in Singapore, USA also topped the medal tally, but Phelps was still not impressed.
USA Swimming said.: 'We are saddened and disappointed at the timing of the comments.
'The USA Swimming team battled severe illness in Singapore, and these comments added public scrutiny to an already challenging situation for our athletes and coaches,'
Phelps has previously admitted to some mental health challenges and once said he considered self harm.
But he has used his struggles to bring awareness to swimmers' welfare, and believes his country's swimming officials need to improve that side of their operations as well.
'I still care and I'm not ready to give up,' Phelps said.
'I don't have all the answers, but I know this: we need accountability. We need transparency. We need athlete voices at the centre, not in the margins.
'We need systemic change.
'I would like to encourage those of you who are in our sport and all of those who care about our sport's future to share your thoughts too. What do you think about the state of swimming in our country today? Has the sport continued to evolve and, if not, what can be done to move this sport into the future?'
He then proposed some steps to the USA Swimming Board of Directions and USA Swimming, and offered his services for the 'proposed initial steps'.
The steps are:
- Commission a 360* independent review of USA Swimming's Board of Directors and its organization as a whole. Provide complete transparency in this process.
- Streamline athlete services and develop a proactive, athlete-first way to support athletes competing in the sport. While USA Swimming and the USOPC provide some athlete resources, there needs to be a better way to work directly with athletes to implement what's available to them.
- Focus on strengthening the grassroots level of the sport, reversing its pandemic membership decline while developing new ways to foster additional growth.
'My door is open and there is work to be done,' he said.