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Thompson Takes Break During Inquiry

Dec 7, 2009  - Craig Lord

Australia head swimming coach Alan Thompson has taken personal leave of absence from his job after a claim of "inappropriate behaviour" was made against him. Swimming Australia is investigating the matter.

Kevin Neil, Swimming Australia chief executive, said today that an "anonymous and unsubstantiated claim of inappropriate behaviour" had been brought to the federation's attention regarding Alan Thompson, who has been head coach since January 2005.

"The Swimming Australia board discussed the matter and Alan has agreed to take personal leave while we look into it further," Neil said in a statement. "As far as we know, the claim is not of a criminal nature." He was at pains to note that the Thompson case was not in any way related to other bad news from Australia this week.

In the wake of those allegations, Nicole Jeffery, of The Australian, revealed that Greg Rogers, the 1968 and 1972 Olympian, was among those who complained about coach Terry Buck. Jeffery also spoke to swimmers who found it impossible to believe that anything untoward had taken place. 

The Australian reports:

"I would have known him for 20 years and I had nothing but the greatest admiration and respect for the guy," said dual Olympic champion [Kieren] Perkins. "I can't comment on anything that happened before, but in the time I knew Terry there was nothing to suggest that this could have been part of his personality."

Quadruple Olympian [Jane] Saville rejected the allegations. "I don't believe any of it, I think the whole story is garbage," Saville said. Former Australian swimming team psychologist Clark Perry said he never saw any suspicious behaviour from Buck. In my professional opinion, the person I knew would be incapable of that (child abuse)."

Comment: It would be wrong to view Thompson with anything other than the respect he deserves right now. We know nothing. What we can say is this: 

It is correct for official bodies to investigate accusations serious enough to merit inquiry. The circumstances under which such measures are taken are questionable, however. Suffice it to say that the only man who has his name in headlines is Alan Thompson. 

An accusation is levelled, an investigation started, the man may be regarded differently by some. Not necessarily Swimming Australia's fault, for information will leak and the world will embrace it (not a bad thing more often than not), but statements that include the words "as far as we know" help neither accused nor accuser. The sooner we know what and who, the better for Thompson now that his character has been called into question on a matter that has led to him taking personal leave. More news is likely to emerge in the Australian press later in the day and over the course of the week.

Keeping in mind that we have no idea what the Thompson case is all about, the affair calls to mind the ridiculous and unfounded accusations levelled at Bill Sweetenham in Britain. Not only were accusations against him false, levelled at him by a handful of swimmers who let themselves down out of the water just as much as in it at a time when the Australian commanded the support of the vast majority, but the damage done to British Swimming was sad to witness. The federation called an inquiry that would prove Sweetenham's innocence. What it never did do was then enforce its rules against those who broke a code that states that no member of the federation should bring the sport of swimming into disrepute. Pity. Something for Swimming Australia to consider.

Meantime, Sweetenham was vindicated not only by inquiry but by results on the deck (take a look at the strength and number of young coaches at the heart of the 2012 Olympic nation's programme) and in the race pool, results that continue to flow and will do so all the way to London 2012 and beyond thanks in good measure to the legacy that he left. Sweetenham is now back home helping Australia once more while providing wisdom far and wide, Spain among countries that will benefit from a touch of Aussie work ethic and approach if they can find a way of harnessing it.