Swimming Australia acknowledges complaints process could have been better communicated

Swimming Australia has admitted it could have done better in making its members aware of how to access an independent complaints process.

In the wake of two-time Olympic silver medallist Maddie Groves quitting the Tokyo Olympic trials, citing "misogynistic perverts" in the sport, Swimming Australia Chief Executive Alex Baumann announced yesterday that the organisation would contact all its members immediately to make them aware of how to access the complaints process.

Speaking at the 2021 Australian Swimming Trials at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre in Adelaide, after what he described as a "regularly scheduled meeting", Baumann advised “we acknowledge the complaints process should be easily accessible and we have committed to ensuring all our members are aware of the avenues to access this process.

"I don't think it's vague, I think it's pretty comprehensive. What I think has happened is that we haven't communicated effectively.

"In the next 24 hours we will be sending a communication to all of our community reiterating the avenues of process for any complaint."

Swimming Australia Director Tracy Stockwell said members could raise their complaints directly with the organisation but, noting that the body had become aware some members did not feel comfortable doing that, advised that they could instead go straight to the Australian Institute of Sport or Sport Integrity Australia.

She said that was a relatively new process, which the organisation acknowledged it has not publicised.

Stockwell said the Swimming Australia board had met on Tuesday, and was making progress with regard to the independent female panel it had committed to following Groves's allegations.

She told the ABC “we have a draft terms of reference for the formation of our panel and this has gone through our integrity and ethics committee as well as the board today and we're still finessing that

"We are listening to the allegations and I have empathy for those athletes."

She said a "number of impressive candidates" had come forward and that she hoped to be "able to announce a chairperson as soon as possible".