Swimming Australia can’t keep covering up its dirtiest secrets, writes Julian Linden

The details from the bombshell report into the treatment of female swimmers should make every Australian furious. More must be done to protect our athletes, writes Julian Linden.

It doesn’t matter how many gold medals the Dolphins win in the pool at next year’s Paris Olympics or at the Brisbane Games in 2032, Swimming Australia will never regain the moral high ground if it keeps covering up its dirtiest secrets.

Australia’s favourite Olympic sport should be humming along after assembling the best team in the world right now, but yet again, fresh questions will be asked about whether officials are serious about addressing the continued abuse of female participants.

The details from the latest report into the treatment of women and girl participants should make every Australian sick to the stomach – and furious that not more is being done.

For years now, some of Australia’s bravest female swimmers have been calling out the filthy secrets that go on in the sport, demanding a full and transparent approach to the way some women and girls have been mistreated.

Yet the sport’s officials still seem more concerned about winning medals and protecting their own hides, than the wellbeing of vulnerable athletes.

The leaked report – published by this Masthead – into the distressing investigation into girls being groped, body shamed, sexually taunted, publicly humiliated and women being treated like second-class citizens or denied the same opportunities as men are a national disgrace.

And it has to stop now.

The report into the treatment of women and girls in swimming.

No matter how they try to spin it. Swimming Australia’s decision not to publicly reveal the findings from the review it commissioned shows how out of touch the organisation is.

The problem with always trying to hush things up is that even if you are trying to do the right thing, no one believes you anymore.

Swimming Australia’s defence for refusing to disclose the report’s distressing findings is that it was their way of protecting whistleblowers.

Pull the other leg because that fails every pub test.

Time and time again, swimming officials have been warned that if they want people to believe in them they have to be completely transparent because it is a sport where far too many things are conveniently swept under the carpet.

The timing could not be worse for Swimming Australia, which has undergone massive upheaval and is currently without a permanent president or a CEO.

Next week, member organisations will be asked to adopt a new constitution to avoid being expelled from World Aquatics, the sport’s global governing body, but there are more stormy waters ahead which can’t be ignored.

More questions will be asked and answers will be needed.

Originally published as Swimming Australia can’t keep covering up its dirtiest secrets, writes Julian Linden