USA Swimming Responds to Legends’ Criticism; Michael Phelps Refutes Outreach
USA Swimming on Thursday released a statement saying it was “saddened and disappointed” by alumni of the program who have in recent weeks criticized it.
The organization has been roiled by criticism from the outside on a multitude of issues, which came to a head during last week’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Olympic gold medalists and program legends like Rowdy Gaines, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte criticized the performance of the program in Singapore. This has all come against the backdrop of the governing body failing to fill its CEO position for nearly a year. The criticism has been aimed at the organization’s leadership.
USA Swimming released a statement at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet, attributed to interim CEO Bob Vincent, its second interim CEO. The statement does not appear anywhere on the USA Swimming website (nor has USA Swimming made new national team managing director Greg Meehan or any other leading figures available for interviews save for a brief television spot with Peacock during Worlds.)
It was first reported by the Big Friendly Swim Podcast.
View this post on Instagram
The statement:
We respect and value the opinions of Rowdy, Michael, Ryan, and all USA Swimming alums. We acknowledge that their comments come from a place of passion and genuine desire to see USA Swimming succeed. We are saddened and disappointed at the timing of the comments.
The USA Swimming team battled severe illness in Singapore, and these comments added public scrutiny to an already challenging situation for our athletes and coaches. We are incredibly proud of the resilience of our team in the face of such difficult circumstances and remain confident in the leadership, strategic direction, and culture established by newly appointed National Team Managing Director Greg Meehan.
USA Swimming has reached out directly to Rowdy and other notable alums in recent months, offering them a forum, including an invitation to join in a more official manner. The door remains open, as the only path forward for our sport is to work collectively to achieve a shared vision of success. We remain focused on the task at hand: Winning LA28.
Phelps hit back at the assertion in the comments of the post by the Big Friendly Swim Podcast, calling it “maybe a false statement.” Phelps also wrote: “I know they didn’t reach out to rowdy. They’ve shoved us out the door for years. Treated me like a piece of meat thro [sic] my career. Hopefully it changes someday….”
USA Swimming made significant changes last summer after a disappointing performance at the Paris Olympics. CEO Tim Hinchey, who oversaw the organization for seven years, including a highly successful 2024 Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, departed. The performance side also changed, with Meehan hired away from Stanford to head the national team.
The CEO’s chair has remained vacant. First Shana Ferguson filled it on an interim basis before leaving to join the LA2028 committee. The organization hired Chrissi Rawak, the former athletic director of the University of Delaware, but she had to withdraw from the job after a SafeSport claim against her surfaced after her hiring was announced.
A bout of acute gastroenteritis meant the U.S. struggled in terms of performance in Singapore. It had just four medals through three days of competition, though it eventually would lead the competition in gold medals (nine) and total medals (29). The gold total, though, includes just two of eight relays (mixed free and women’s medley). For the second straight major meet, the U.S. men won just one individual gold medal, this one from Luca Urlando in the 200 butterfly.
That led Lochte to post a photo of a headstone on Aug. 1, marking the death of USA Swimming as a world power. Phelps reposted the story. Gaines, broadcasting the meet for NBC Sports, criticized Team USA’s performance as “rudderless” in an interview with the Associated Press, then expanded on his thoughts with a long thread this week.
Where’s the leadership?
Last paragraph: Gaines in Singapore?
Other sources indicated he was broadcasting the meet remotely and thus had no additional location-based insights he might have had if in fact in Singapore.
I believe it’s just a typo- Rowdy was in fact not in Singapore he was in a recording booth on the East Coast