Review into Rowing Australia's Olympic performance reveals 'culture of fear'

A Rowing Australia review has found a “culture of fear and repercussion” within the sport’s high performance program.

The review was undertaken following the sport’s Paris Olympics performance, its worst in almost four decades, with Australia securing just one medal - a bronze in the women’s pair.

As first reported by Code Sports, the concerns over culture have been identifeid among a number of critical failings that have led to significant changes. for the sport ahead of the Los Angeles Games.

While it was found “positive practices and areas of excellence existed within the programs”, a comprehensive report completed after extensive interviews of athletes and coaches in the Olympic and Paralympic programs both before and after the Games, highlighted issues in the sport’s high performance that existed in the 2021-2024 cycle.

These included:

• Some behaviours of coaches led to a number of athletes and staff to refer to a culture of fear and repercussion within the HP program

• Unfair and unclear selection processes

• Escalation pathways lacking structure and accountability

• Absence of a unified ‘Rowing Australia Way’

• Poor coaching leadership

• Communication and collaboration: lacking purpose and clarity

Recognising that poor coaching leadership was a key theme of the report, Rowing Australia Chief Executive, Sarah Cook acknowledged “there were some behaviours of our coaches that led to a number of athletes and staff to refer to a culture of fear and repercussion within the high-performance program.

“That certainly wasn’t all coaches but there was a feeling that the behaviours of some of the coaches led to what you could say (was) a lack of psychological safety within the program.”

Even before the Games began, Rowing Australia had started the review into its 2021-2024 high-performance cycle both to ensure there was no Games result bias that skewed athlete and coach feedback but also because it had become evident there were changes that needed to be made.

With an interim report from external independent consultants Liberating Brilliance delivered to Cook in the first week of the Games, critical decisions were made the day after the Paris Olympic regatta finished to allow the sport to move forward.

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