Medal dais should be protected from TV microphones

Olympic greats have expressed reservations about a decision to allow swimmers to talk into TV microphones on the medal dais.

Bronte Campbell, left, and Cate Campbell at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre

Some of Australia’s Olympic champions have expressed reservations about a decision to allow swimmers to talk into television microphones while they are on the medal dais at this week’s national championships in Brisbane.

The Seven Network is broadcasting the swimming finals live this week and introduced the new practice. Both world 100m freestyle champion Bronte Campbell and national 50m freestyle champion Cameron McEvoy were answering questions from the Seven presenters during their medal ceremonies on Sunday night.

Olympic champions Dawn Fraser, Mike Wenden and Libby Trickett, all experts in medal dais etiquette, said yesterday that medal ceremonies should be sacrosanct. Fraser, who presented Campbell with her medal on Sunday night, said she found the decision to mic up the swimmers “a bit controversial’’.

“The medal presentation should be the medal presentation, where they are all rewarded for what they have done,’’ she said.

“You wouldn’t see that at the Olympic Games.’’

Wenden said he found the practice disrespectful of the other swimmers on the medal dais.

“By taking attention away from the other medallists they are reducing their status and saying they are not that important,’’ Wenden said.

Trickett, who has worked as a television and radio presenter since retiring from her sport, applauded the attempt to be innovative but said it was misplaced on the medal dais.

“I like that they are trying something different and trying to get a different insight into swimming but I thought it was weird,’’ Trickett said.

“For the silver and bronze medal presentations, they were talking through that and I thought that was a little bit disrespectful. They are trying to do something different but that’s probably not the way to go.’’

Australian Swimmers Association chief executive Dan Kowalski said none of the swimmers involved had expressed concerns.