The toxic culture of fear in systemic swimming – a review

A toxic environment at swimming clubs in England has enabled abusive coaching practices and bullying to persist for years, a review has found.

She added that intense competitiveness had led to a “persistent and systemic” culture of fear at all levels of water sports and was a major threat to its future.

Athletes, volunteers and parents feared they would be 'victimized' if they raised concerns about swimming in England, while whistleblowers have been threatened.

The administrative body has apologized.

Nineteen ongoing safeguarding incidents were reported during the investigation and reported to Swim England's social care team.

The review also found there was an “urgent need” to address racism in swimming, with many from ethnically diverse communities feeling they did not belong in what was seen as a “white middle-class sport”.

Paralympic and paralympic swimmers said they often feel overlooked and undervalued, with one competition winner saying they were given a spare medal from an old competition rather than a “shiny new medal” like other athletes.

Sport England said the “stark” conclusions “represent a crossroads moment for both Swimming England and all those involved in the sport more widely”, adding that the governing body's funding depended on its ability to change.

The wide-ranging review, which made 21 recommendations, was commissioned by Swimming England (SE) in early 2023 after several athletes told the BBC they had suffered bullying, emotional abuse and body shaming.

The former Team Great Britain swimmer won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but lost her love for the sport when she began suffering from a serious “eating disorder” to lose weight, on the instructions of her coach.

She said the report was “incredibly powerful and not easy to read – it shows that there have been mistakes made in the past.”

She added: “It is a wonderful sport that brings happiness to many and we want to make sure that it is for everyone and that no one leaves this sport with any negative experiences.”

More than 1,000 people working in the sport, including swimmers, coaches, parents and volunteers, provided their views to the researchers, with a further 3,500 people completing the survey.

The review found that excessive demands on child athletes meant there was an expectation to train when they were tired or injured, leading to many quitting sport or suffering mental health problems.

One young swimmer said they “often exhausted themselves to the point of vomiting or collapsing to please my coach”, while another said they suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to bullying they experienced poolside as children.

Allegations of bullying were often 'hidden' by the SE while historical reports were often believed to have been dismissed.

Investigators said those in positions of authority were too keen to “protect themselves”, with parents and volunteers fearful of being “blacklisted” or labeled as troublemakers for speaking out about wrongdoing.

Whistleblowers have been targeted with threats, abuse and intimidation by other people while swimming.

Participants called for “an external review or overhaul of those in power” because they wanted to ensure that SE was serious about changes in culture.

Jane Nickerson retired as chief executive of the governing body last week, with former British Triathlon chief executive Andy Salmon taking over.

The review by Behavioral Engineers found: “There were unacceptable behaviors and practices within the aquatics that caused real pain and suffering to the people involved.”

“It is also clear that people felt unable to come forward to Swimming England to voice their concerns.”

The report published on Tuesday also found:

The research included opinions from all the water sports community including water polo, artistic swimming, Paralympic swimming and diving.

He noted that water sports can be beneficial for wellbeing and camaraderie with examples of excellent training at all levels.

Many coaches fear unfair accusations being made against them, and some told researchers that they walk a fine line between “pressing for progress and applying too much pressure.”

However, SE was praised in the review for keeping aquatics going through the pandemic and keeping pools open during the cost of living crisis.

Sport England said the report “details abuse, racism, bullying, bad practices, negative experiences and poor culture within sport”.

He added, “The experiences shared by many swimmers, coaches and volunteers in the report are starkly presented.”

“No one in sport should be subjected to this kind of treatment, and we thank those who have come forward to tell their stories.

“We are clear that our continued funding to Swim England must focus on tackling important issues within the sport.”

SE president Richard Hookway said the organization apologized because it had “failed” to achieve what it sought, leading to “negative experiences”.

He added that they took the views in the report seriously, were committed to change and had worked on a plan called Heart of Aquatics for 12 months to improve protection, wellbeing and culture.

“I want to assure everyone that we welcome the recommendations and will act on the results that we fully accept,” Hookway said.

“We will now take the appropriate time to develop our next steps, building on the Heart of Watersports’ commitments and consulting with stakeholders as we do so.”