Swimming coach spared axe over helping Korean rival – months after he was told not to

Paris: Australian swimming coach Michael Palfrey has been cleared to remain with the team in France for the duration of competition despite breaching a formal request from Swimming Australia in March to disassociate with overseas swimmers before the Games.

Australia’s chef de mission Anna Meares confirmed after a day of crisis talks led by Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor, that Palfrey would continue in his role during the Olympics.

Just hours earlier, Taylor had described Palfrey’s comments about wanting a rival country’s swimmer to beat two members of his own squad as “un-Australian”.

“I support Rohan Taylor and his team and the decision they have taken in the interests of the swimming team. It is a decision based on high-performance and wellbeing,” Meares said in a statement.

Palfrey on Tuesday made the extraordinary admission that he hoped South Korean world champion Kim Woo-min would win gold in the men’s 400m freestyle on the opening night at the pool, where Australians Sam Short and Elijah Winnington have genuine podium claims.

Taylor spoke with Dolphins coaches and athletes on Thursday at the Olympic village and got their views on whether they believed Palfrey’s inflammatory comments would cause a rift in the team.

Australian coach Michael Palfrey at training on Thursday. Credit: Eddie Jim

He said Palfrey admitted he had been in contact with South Korean swimmers via email.

“I came to the decision that the best situation for the team is for Michael Palfrey to stay with the team,” Taylor said. “We just had an online team meeting where ... Michael apologised profusely for his mistake.

“I’m very critical of him. I was angry. I made sure he knew that.

“I believe it was a very bad error of judgment and the consequences for that will be coming in the future when we get back home. But for the nine days of our competition, my job is to make a call around the wellbeing and the performance environment and that’s what I’ve done.”

‘I couldn’t care less’

Winnington told Channel Nine after an Australian training session on Thursday that he wasn’t bothered at all by what Palfrey said in a poolside interview with Korean media, observed and revealed by this masthead.

“I couldn’t care less,” Winnington said. “Mick’s come and apologised. I don’t think he meant what he said. He’s a great guy and great coach.

“Obviously Woo-min trains with him but he’s come up to me and knows he didn’t mean what he said. At the end of the day, it’s just a comment, and I’m here to race the best I can. There’s no animosity among the team. It’s all good.”

Australian swimming coach Michael Palfrey addresses South Korean media ahead of the Olympics in Paris.

Palfrey is looking after four swimmers at these Olympics: Zac Incerti, Abbey Connor, Alex Perkins and Sam Williamson, with the latter the best chance of a medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

However, this masthead has obtained a copy of an email sent from Swimming Australia’s general manager of performance Teagan Colgan in March to more than 30 members of the high-performance team, including Taylor.

Swimming Australia sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of discussions, say Palfrey was on the email chain.

The email reads: “In the lead-up to Olympic trials this year, we would like to assert greater rigour on international athletes coming in and out of Swimming Australia’s supported DTEs [daily training environments].

“Between now and Paris we will continue to support approvals for long-term residential international athletes who have been training in your program since January.

“We ask any individual international swimmers or camps-based national program swimmers finish their engagement by or not plan new engagement after the end of Open’s on the Gold Coast.

“Swimming Australia would like to protect Australia’s national swimming interests and have no new international, non-residential athletes, training in Australians Daily Performance Environments. Previously approved engagements in this window, that do not conflict with Australia’s national swimming interests will remain approved.

“This approach is being applied to SA funded programs, SA supported programs and programs with Category 1 Australian Athletes.

“This means we do not support:

• Australian coaches supporting international athletes on international teams
• Daily Performance Environment squad changes to accommodate International Athletes.”

Taylor told reporters on Thursday that Palfrey’s continued association with Kim would be investigated by Swimming Australia’s integrity unit. He also acknowledged Palfrey did receive an email from Swimming Australia in March.

“It is disappointing and that’s what we’ll be dealing with when we get back home,” Taylor said.

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