Swimming has a rich and proud history in this country – it is a national past time enjoyed by thousands every day. As a nation surrounded by water, we can proudly say that swimming is a part of us. It is in our DNA.
According to the latest National Sports Participation report from Roy Morgan Research, Swimming is the most common sporting activity in Australia, with around 1 in 2 children and 1 in 10 adults regularly taking to the water.
For that reason, we as the sport’s governing body have a duty of care to ensure that everyone who participates in swimming is safe at all times; both in and out of the water.
I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that, following last year’s Royal Commission investigating Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Swimming Australia has conducted an extensive review of all internal governance practices.
We consulted widely with child protection advocates, community and stakeholder groups and legal experts both here and overseas to develop processes that allow for a proactive and preventative approach to tackling inappropriate behaviour in our sport. We are working closely with all of our member organisations in relation to education programs, Working with Children Checks and monitoring procedures and reporting processes. Our sport is united in ensuring we have appropriate procedures and processes in place.
Importantly, since the Royal Commission, we also met with victims who feel they have been misunderstood and poorly treated by Swimming Australia in the past and, in some instances, situations which took place over 20 years ago. Unfortunately we cannot change what has occurred in the past, nonetheless to those victims and their families Swimming Australia unreservedly apologises for the distress that may have been caused.
The discussions with victims and their families have been invaluable to us in understanding their experiences. We must provide extensive support to each individual who makes claims of this nature. We are committed to ensuring any allegations are dealt with immediately and undergo a full and thorough process, and are sensitive to the needs of the individuals involved.
We have zero tolerance for abuse of any kind in our sport. As part of this commitment, we now have a Judiciary Panel, which will be chaired by a legal expert, where serious allegations of misconduct will be referred to for a hearing.
There is no room for child abuse, bullying, sexual discrimination or discrimination generally within the sport of swimming in this country.
Sport should enrich the lives of all who are involved and we all have the right to enjoy our sport, at whichever level we participate. The safety and enjoyment of all participants, especially our young, is absolutely paramount and is our guiding principle in everything we do.
Over April, swimmers from all over the country are preparing for the 2015 Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Championships coming up from April 3 to 10, at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC), home of the 2000 Olympic Games.
The 2015 Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Championships is also the selection trials for the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia July 24 to August 9 and the IPC World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland July 13 to 19.
What an opportunity for these athletes to fulfill their sporting ambitions and take a giant step on the journey to the Rio Olympic Games in 18 months’ time.
Then just days later; from April 13 to 20, Australia’s rising stars will descend on SOPAC as part of the 2015 Georgina Hope Foundation Australian Age Championships. The next generation of swimmers will race over eight days of competition to be crowned the national champion in their age group.
Our age group swimmers will be striving for selection onto the FINA World Junior Championships to be held in Singapore from August 25 to 30. This international meet is a big step on their swimming journey and a chance for the next generation to prove their potential in the pool.
How exciting for these young, dedicated people. And what an incredible commitment from their coaches, parents and loved ones!
The Open Water swimmers have also well and truly begun their journey to the World Championship selection with the next step the FINA World Cup in Cancun, Mexico on May 2.
The Australian Open Water 10km Champions from this year Jarrod Poort and Melissa Gorman will be joined by George O’Brien, Chelsea Gubecka, Simon Huitengaand Kareena Lee at the World Cup in Mexico where the top two Australian males and females will qualify for the World Championship team.
My best wishes to all and the very best of luck.
In other exciting news, those 2015 Australian teams will all be known as the Australian Dolphins Swim Team.
We want to make the Dolphins synonymous with the Australian Swim Team again and to do this we re-launched the brand name that was once a status symbol within Australian sport.
The Dolphins take pride in what it means to represent our country, be their best, take on the world and succeed. The Dolphins are: united, respectful, inspiring, resilient, relentless, passionate, focused, competitive and confident.
Through the team’s actions we want to encourage the next generation to strive to become a Dolphin and represent the spirit of the green and gold.
You can follow The Australian Dolphins Swim Team on Social Media here:
Facebook: Australian Dolphins Swim Team
Twitter: @DolphinsAUS
Instagram: @dolphinsaus
Hashtags: #TeamGreenAndGold and #OurTeam
It is with great pleasure that Swimming Australia welcomes Hancock Prospecting on board as our major sponsor. Mrs Gina Rinehart, chair of Hancock Prospecting, has been a supporter of swimming in this country since the early 90’s, but stepping up as our major sponsor takes Hancock Prospecting’s support to another level.
Mrs Rinehart greatly admires the dedication and commitment of our swimmers. She loves people giving it a go, giving it their best.
Go Australia!
Wide consultation seemed to exclude current swimming membership! SA still in a their bubble.
I was searching around for the right words to describe Sailor Boy’s statement. “Tone deaf” comes to mind it’s failure to stay on message.
This apology can only be viewed in it’s original form if you are a subscriber to the Swimming Australia Newsletter. Besides the reporting on this site victims and their families have to subscribe to see their apology. ????????? That is a very passive public apology
One would have thought they may have already, as a matter of courtesy, sent a proper “black and white” response to all of those who appeared/made submissions to the Commission …… but one never knows.
To be frank; I don’t think Sailor Boy (or whoever prepared this screed for him) “got it right”. This has been an issue which has blackened the sport’s reputation and they’d have done far better just sticking to the script and doing their best “mea culpa”. By adding the extended waffle about the upcoming Nationals, it only seeks to dilute the impact of the apology and give off an impression they’re seeking to divert attention.