Swimming Australia calls urgent meeting to respond to World Aquatics expulsion threats
Faced with expulsion from World Aquatics, Swimming Australia has given its champions reassurances as the threat of missing Paris 2024 looms.
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Australia’s champion swimmers have been assured they will not be banned from representing their country at next year’s Paris Olympics even if members proceed with plans to defy the sport’s world governing body and refuse to accept constitutional changes.
Faced with the real threat of expulsion from World Aquatics because of an escalating governance crisis, Swimming Australia has called an urgent meeting on October 20 to vote on whether to accept a new proposed constitution.
SA president Michelle Gallen is urging the voting members to rubberstamp the new proposed reforms, saying it was the only way to prevent a disastrous stalemate that could have seen the Dolphins joining Russia and Belarus by competing as ‘neutrals’ at Paris in 2024.
“The message from the governing body is abundantly clear,” Gallen said.
“If we don’t make these necessary changes, then our standing in the sport is in jeopardy.”
Australian sporting authorities have become increasingly concerned about the serious consequences that would be triggered if SA’s membership of World Aquatics was revoked.
If the eligibility rules were strictly applied, the Australian Olympic Committee would not be able to pick swimmers for the Paris Olympics while SA was no longer aligned with the global body, but AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said it would never come to that.
“Australia’s swimmers can be reassured that their place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is absolutely secure whatever the outcome of the current process being undertaken by Swimming Australia and World Aquatics,” Carroll said.
“While Swimming Australia’s membership of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is subject to its ongoing recognition by World Aquatics, the AOC will ensure a process is in place for those nominated and selected swimmers to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“The AOC is supportive of a reform process that is acceptable to World Aquatics to ensure the ongoing membership of Swimming Australia of the global governing body.”
SA might also be in danger of losing millions of dollars in government grants if it was not recognised by World Aquatics, but Australian Sports Commission Chair Josephine Sukkar said she was hopeful an agreement would be reached.
“The ASC is committed to ensuring that all national sporting organisations which receive taxpayer funding demonstrate good governance of their sport,” she said
“We welcome the steps taken today and will continue to work with Swimming Australia to ensure that it is structured and operates in a way that generates stable leadership, empowers its athletes and coaches, while enabling a positive, safe and inclusive environment for all of its participants and members.”
However, the standoff is real and a long way from being resolved.
Several members – speaking on condition of anonymity – told this masthead they would refuse to support the constitutional changes, effectively telling World Aquatics to mind their own business.
For the constitutional changes to be passed, at least seven of the number voting members – which includes state federation bosses as well as representatives for swimmers and coaches, must agree to the changes.
But highly-placed sources said the majority of members are strongly opposed to the proposed changes so will refuse to accept them, putting SA in direct conflict with World Aquatics and major national sporting bodies.
The tensions are already so high that emotions spilt over at an emergency conference call between Australian swinging stakeholders on Thursday, with SA leaders getting caught up in a heated argument.
Insiders at World Aquatics, formally known as FINA, have said the international body isn’t bluffing with its threats to blacklist SA, but did not want to see swimmers punished for something they had nothing to do with.
This masthead has already obtained two strongly-worded letters that World Aquatics sent to SA, warning it had 30 days to get its horse in order or risk being sidelined.
Word Aquatics has already banned a number of federations, including Russia and Belarus.
Last month, it suspended for the Philippines and in 2022, it implemented a “stablization Committee” to fix the Mexican Swimming Federation’s governance problems.
In calling out SA, World Aquatics questioned the high turnover of executives, which has resembled a revolving door in recent years, while also arguing that the constitution was in breach of its own regulations.
One of the reasons that was given was that Australia‘s Matt Dunn, the vice president of World Aquatics, was not a voting member.
Sources said that under the proposed constitutional changes, Dunn would be given a place on the board as one of four appointed members.
Five others would be elected while there would also be representatives from new swimmers and coaches commissions, taking the total to 11.
Regardless of what happens, more changes at the top of SA are on the horizon, even the turbulence that rocked the sport last year has quelled.
Speaking exclusively to this masthead, Gallen agreed that SA needed to lift its game and change with the times.
“In the last month, we‘ve had the opportunity to demonstrate just how high performing our swimmers are,” she said. “It’s been such an exciting month and it’s time that we improved the governance of the sport and the organisation as well to be just as high performing as our swimmers.
“There‘s a silver lining in moving the sport forward and setting it up so that it has the opportunity to thrive even more.”
Swimming Australia’s urgent response to expulsion threat
Swimming Australia has called an urgent meeting of its voting members to approve a new constitution after being threatened with expulsion from the sport’s global governing body.
Warned by World Aquatics that its membership could be revoked within the next 30 days unless it fixed its long list of governance problems, Swimming Australia was due to brief key stakeholders on Thursday before announcing a Special General Meeting to take place next month.
Swimming Australia’s newly appointed president Michelle Gallen said the situation was so serious that if SA did not introduce major reforms quickly it’s international status in the sport could be in peril.
“The message from the governing body is abundantly clear,” Gallen said.
“If we don’t make these necessary changes, then our standing in the sport is in jeopardy.”
Gallen did not try to sugar-coat the crisis or the need for SA to change.
Too many times in the past, Swimming Australia’s leaders have gotten away with sweeping problems under the carpet because of the inspiring performances of the swimmers.
But that doesn’t hold water anymore because stakeholders – including swimmers, coaches and state federations, have been demanding changes – and the sport’s international bosses have paid attention.
Gallen, who was appointed president just last year when Tracy Stockwell was ousted in a boardroom coup, openly acknowledged that Swimming Australia board members needed to raise their standards to match the nation’s incredible swimmers, who have been cleaning up the recent world championships.
“These changes are aimed at our members and bringing much needed – and called for –
change and stability to how our sport is governed,” Gallen said.
“On the back of our swimmers’ recent success at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, the Para Dolphins in Manchester, and in the lead-up to Paris 2024, now is the time
for Swimming in Australia to be just as high performing out of the pool.
“The changes will ensure the sport’s administration and governance is of a world-class standard and will strengthen the voice of athletes and coaches.”
SA and World Aquatics have been holding secret talks for months after their concerns about how the sport is being run in Australia, which surfaced last year when Melbourne hosted the world short course championships.
The Daily Telegraph obtained explosive letters that World Aquatics sent to Australia warning of major repercussions if Swimming Australia didn’t get its house in order, with the Paris Olympics less than a year away.
Swimming Australia has listened and is taking the threats seriously, engaging a third party to help develop its constitutional administrative reforms.
The meeting to vote on the proposed changes has been set down to take place on October 30 with the following changes proposed:
• The new constitution will also ensure more power to athletes, a stronger voice for athletes
and coaches, while also delivering a broader voting base.
• Modernising the operations and governance of the organisation to ensure everyone in the Australian swimming ecosystem has the best experience possible, no matter their level of involvement.
• Input from Swimming Australia’s voting members with the mandate of World Aquatics.
• A constitution that aligns more closely to the Australian Sports Commission’s Governance Principles.
• A governance structure that aligns with its requirements as a member of World Aquatics and within the wider International Olympic Committee structure.
The new constitution will also ensure more power to athletes, a stronger voice for athletes
and coaches, while also delivering a broader voting base.
World Aquatics has been briefed on the proposed changes and supports them.
“World Aquatics welcomes the changes to the Swimming Australia Constitution, which will
give more power to athletes and a voice on the Board, while also delivering a broader voting
base more closely connected to athletes and coaches,” World Aquatics Executive Director Brent Nowicki said.
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