Scandal in US swimming

I remember when I became interested in swim train, Several decades ago, I observed with great frustration attempts to cheat or change the format of national teams, some of them very unusual.

Suggestion of a coach for the club with a distinguished women’s team and smooth communication with the leadership Select All-American Women, With signs easier than men’s signs. On another occasion, a veteran leader spoke of the money it cost to pay for airfare and accommodation, to an excellent swimmer who ran the 50 and 100 metres.

For less than a minute of racing, It will cost us more than four thousand dollars.” He exclaimed, very convinced of his ignorance.

However, on this occasion, swimming in the United States – historically the best in the world – was the best Great swimmers and excellent technicians For more than a century, he produced an unprecedented scandal in the recently detained citizens of Indianapolis, and a selective scandal. World Cup in Fukuoka, Japan.

As never before, doubts about fairness in the selection process were incredibly proven Remove the team From 52 exceptional runner swimmers and multiple world and Olympic champions Michael Andrew.

Andrew is a special case, he has always been trained by his father Peter at the family owned swimming pool, under a discipline Super training Speed USRPT (Ultra Short Race Speed ​​Training), and always free from the control and protection of the federation and the powerful United States Technicians Association.

Andrew is one of the few swimmers in history to have excelled all-around in the Speed ​​tests in three different modes: Crawl, breast and butterfly.

And it is not the first time that the swimmer and his father have been in the eye of the storm, the beginning was two years ago, when Refused to receive a covid vaccine For traveling to an event abroad, and also to a certain extent due to the very low volume courses he takes, totaling just over 3000 metres. I mean, Less than 30% of what other characters swim in the world In the same disciplines, but yes, at a very high intensity.

So was the coach, the swimmer and their training regimen It has been questioned by a good portion of the more traditional technicians. Michael was cut from the team despite winning the 50 fly, placing second on the 50 breaststroke and third on the 50 free fly.

Swimming union with the mighty american technicians association, It is the one that controls sports policy in swimming and excludes him from the team, considering the application of a new regulation starting this year, which favors the formation of relays and the priority of Olympic events over others. So Posted by Baylor Nelson and Henry Macfadyen, who finished fifth and sixth in the 200-meter freestyle and would incorporate the 4×200 freestyle relay as an alternate, running the heats only to qualify the team.

It seems not so serious and even vague that the regulatory change took place a few weeks ago, and it seems absurd for the United States To go to the World Cup with a selection list for the Olympic Games, Those with a different testing schedule.

The same “purists” who created the new regulation today are those who in 2008 changed the order of the traditional program of tests for citizens, who ranked for Beijing 2008, Why Michael Phelps It is also possible to play 100 for free and get a chance to win it Eight medals.

However, it seems that the decision will not come for free to the federation. Several voices were raised criticizing the procedure, such as a voice Coach Brett Hook, One of the greatest speed specialists. He said that “Michael is a star with a perfect behaviour, It is despised rather than imitated.

For my part, I see that things that I thought existed only in other latitudes and among local personalities who are quite unprofessional, are possible. Even in the global elite.

Andrew will be the only selective test-winning swimmer at the World Cup who will not participate in the championships, while swimmers who have achieved Just sixth place in the test. Very strange.

That is, something happened, an unusual error, a fierce training among technicians or worse linked to political issues, And that if the United States is not the favorite for the World Cup, it could jeopardize its chances.

* Former National Sports Director.