DUEL IN THE POOL WILL BE UNDER SPECIAL SCRUTINY
HEAD coach Jacco Verhaeren concedes the Australian swimming team’s culture will come under the microscope at the Commonwealth Games in the aftermath of the cricket cheating scandal.
Public outrage over the ball tampering saga and the rotten culture within the Test team will have a flow-on effect to the Commonwealth Games, with Australia’s love affair with sport and placement of athletes as role models likely to be heavily scrutinised at the Games.
And as Australia’s highest-profile Olympic sport, swimming – and its team members –will be under the spotlight more than any other.
“I think the swim team is pretty much under the magnifier already,” Verhaeren said. “But definitely this (ensures) the Australian public look critically to not only performance but also behaviours and we’re well aware of that.”
Verhaeren was appointed Australian coach in 2013 as swimming emerged from a cultural overhaul following the disastrous 2012 Olympics.
While he was not part of that team, Verhaeren earnt his fair share of criticism after the 2016 Games, where some of the team’s biggest names failed to fire as others broke through for gold, and well understands the nation’s obsession with sport.
“It would be naive to think that nobody would ask (about how the cricket scandal might affect swimming),” Verhaeren said.
“It’s obviously something big in Australian sport and worldwide, I think. People are looking at that, so you may expect a few questions.”
The cricket situation has not been specifically discussed by the team at their staging camp in Brisbane this week. But Verhaeren said the athletes were aware “that we’re being critically followed, that’s for sure”.
Swimming Australia underwent a review of its culture and leadership after the London Olympics, resulting in a team Verhaeren described as one with great “cohesion”.
“The athlete leaders and team leadership – myself with a few others plus the athlete leaders – are actually in constant conversation about what’s going on in the team,” he said.
“Of course, we’re travelling with 100 people here, so it would be naive to think that nothing could go wrong.”
England swim team leader Grant Robins couldn’t resist a playful dig at the cricket drama when saying the duel for pool medals with Australia would be a clean fight.