Swimming Australia has appointed a barrister to lead the independent inquiry into an anonymous allegation of inappropriate behaviour directed at Dolphins head coach Alan Thompson.
Louise Donohoe is the barrister hired in an extraordinary series of events: the allegation was made anonymously through a newspaper. It is believed to concern an incident at the recent annual Australian Swimming Coaches Association conference at the Gold Coast, The Australian reports.
Thompson opted to take leave from his job during the inquiry. He denies the allegation, whatever that may be. Reporter Nicole Jeffery suggests that a caretaker head coach may now be appointed given that any inquiry may extend into next year, beyond the Christmas holiday season.
Swimming Australia chief executive Kevin Neil calls the allegation "not of a criminal nature" and emphasised that it was in no way related to the allegations of sexual abuse made against the late Olympic swimmers and coach Terry Buck.
Comment: In which case, it makes you wonder how an allegation over something that could never lead to criminal prosecution could lead to a man taking leave during an inquiry called to investigate an anonymous allegation made to a newspaper. On that basis the world of media and many other worlds would be full of investigations that led to nowhere at much cost and harm.
Time will tell what this is all about but the mixing of the Thompson incident with sex abuse allegations against more than one coach in reports Down Under today stretches the limit of fairness to a head coach who, with a nod to the right to be presumed innocent, is having his reputation someone savaged. And savaged because of and by, well... nothing and no-one that the public is being made aware of as yet. An inquiry may well be needed - but the way this affair has been conducted so far smacks of a time when people got out their knitting and sandwiches to come and watch someone's neck being stretched.
The sooner the "independent inquiry" can reveal the nature of the allegation and/or knock it on the head for better or worse, the better for Australian swimming's reputation at a time of torment for those who have something truly serious to complain about if their own allegations are founded.
Right now, an unsubstantiated non-criminal allegation is stealing the headlines from allegations over truly serious allegations that are surely rocking Swimming Australia and could have serious repercussions for the sport of swimming Down Under.
