‘Go Korea’: Aussie swim coach in hot water after backing rival team
An Australian Olympic swim coach has narrowly avoided being sent home from Paris after saying on television that he wanted a star South Korean competitor to defeat two Aussies.
Australian swim coach Michael Palfrey and Korean champion Kim Woo-min. Image: TND
Michael Palfrey told Korean television earlier this week he hoped world champion Kim Woo-min wins the men’s 400-metre freestyle at the Games – an event contested by Australian duo Sam Short and Elijah Winnington.
“I really hope he can win but ultimately I really hope he swims well,” Palfrey said, before ending the interview by saying: “Go Korea.”
Palfrey is one of eight coaches on the Australian swim team under head coach Rohan Taylor. He has coached South Korean swimmers in Brisbane, including Kim.
Swimming Australia head coach Taylor described the comments as “un-Australian” and was considering expelling Palfrey from the Olympics.
“I am extremely disappointed,” Taylor said on Thursday.
“For a coach on our team to promote another athlete ahead of our athletes is not acceptable.”
On Friday morning (AEST), Taylor announced he had decided Palfrey could stay in Paris for the benefit of the Australian athletes.
But the Sunshine Coast coach will face consequences when he returns to Australia in the future.
Taylor said he consulted the Australian Olympic Committee, team athletes, Palfrey’s athletes, coaches and senior management.
“I came to the decision that the best situation for the team is for Michael Palfrey to stay with the team for the next nine days,” he said.
“We just had an online team meeting where everyone was on there, where Michael apologised profusely for his mistake.
“I am very critical of him. I believe it was a very bad error of judgment and the consequences for that will be coming in the future when we get back home.
“But for the nine days of our competition, my job is to make a call around the wellbeing and the performance environment, and that is what I have done.
“It comes down to coaching loads, athlete loads and athletes and coaches who have been working so hard for the last five weeks, as well as Michael’s athletes as well.”
Taylor said Australian coaches were given “guidelines” in March to end any association with non-Australian swimmers before the Paris Olympics.
“I do a lot of work with the coaches, I trust the coaches extensively,” he said.
“They work extremely hard, the athletes work extremely hard, and we work really, really hard on being united.
“And to have somebody make a really silly error of judgment, and not really think about the team at that time was disappointing for me.
“And so from that perspective, I was angry and I made sure that he knew that.”
Australia Olympic chef de mission Anna Meares said Palfrey’s comments were “a conflict and a serious error of judgment”.
“He is very aware and very sorry for what has occurred,” Meares said on Thursday.
Meares said she would back Taylor’s decision.
“We won’t be stepping in over the top of Swimming Australia,” she said.
