AOC will not impose sanctions on "school children" embroiled in Stilnox saga

UPDATE: THE AOC says members of men's swimming relay team - the infamous “Stilnox six” - behaved like school children and got punished the same way.

James Magnussen, centre, and Eamon Sullivan, right, admit to Stilnox-fuelled sessions

THEY behaved like school children and in the end they got punished the same way – a stern lecture from the boss laced with a threat.

Furious Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates yesterday condemned the infamous “Stilnox six” for their behaviour at the London Olympics and slammed Swimming Australia for attempting to cover up the scandal.

But the AOC refused to issue more financial penalties or ban the six swimmers – James Magnussen, Cameron McEvoy, James Roberts, Tommasso D’Orsogna, Matt Targett and Eamon Sullivan – instead handing them “yellow cards”.

If any of them misbehave in the next three years it is “most likely” they will be banned from the 2016 Rio Olympic team.

“In effect Swimming (Australia) has penalised them, what we have done is given them a yellow card and they’re on a very serious three-year good behaviour bond,” Coates said.

“I imagine they would think it’s reasonable, they might have thought it could have been worse.

“It is a very serious warning, this is the yellow card and I hope they learn from it.”

A six-month investigation found the swimmers had lied about their version of events on the night of the Stilnox bonding session on July 20 last year and had indeed “entered the room” of female athletes as revealed by The Courier Mail in February.

But without a formal complaint from female victim Jade Neilsen, the AOC could not fully prosecute Magnussen or McEvoy for behaviour suspected of being “harassment.”

Coates said the relay men owed the women an apology. In reality they owe Neilsen their career as had she pursued a complaint under the Ethical Behaviour By-Laws there is every chance the world 100m freestyle champion Magnussen and world No.4 McEvoy would be facing Olympic bans.

Investigator Bret Walker SC was scathing in his summation of the men’s behaviour.

“(Walker) said their behaviour towards the females was boorish, selfish, obnoxious and disrespectful,” Coates said.

“The conduct of those who entered the room of the female swimmers was suspected of being at the level of harassment or bullying, had that been the case that would have been very serious and in breach of the AOC ethical behaviour by-laws.

“The female swimmers confirmed that they found the behaviour obnoxious and disrup-tive but not at the more serious level and they did not pursue any such complaint under our ethical behaviour by-laws and they stopped short of complaining it was harassment.

“The greatest responsibility we have is to those girls … I apologise to them and I hope the swimmers who haven’t will apologise to them.”

Coates also skewered Swimming Australia for attempting to cover up the incident, with head coach Leigh Nugent revealing during the investigation he had been told to keep the incident in-house by former CEO Kevin Neil and then president David Urquhart.

Nugent’s failure to act on the behaviour reported to him was highlighted as a major contributor to the toxic culture of the swim team in London.

“Leigh Nugent said he was told by Swimming Australia not to investigate it further,” Coates said.

“As a result he did not report the Stilnox allegation to the section manager and the incident therefore was not reported through to the AOC team executive during the Games.

“I was disappointed we didn’t find out about it, they decided to keep it to themselves and that’s not very good.”

New Swimming Australia chief executive Mark Anderson said the AOC report would be tabled at the next board meeting and insisted the swim team had made enormous strides forward in the fallout to the scandals that have troubled the sport.