The sport continues to lurch from one public relations disaster to another.
Swimming Australia has stood down its president Barclay Nettlefold over claims of inappropriate behaviour towards a female team consultant, an official said on Saturday.
Board director and former Olympic swimmer Nicole Livingstone told reporters that Nettlefold would be the subject of a SA investigation into an alleged inappropriate comment made to the woman.
Livingstone said apart from the remark referred to in media reports on Saturday, where Nettlefold was alleged to have told colleagues to call him “donkey”, there was a further allegation of inappropriate behavior.
“The Swimming Australia board was provided with new information today about a separate allegation of inappropriate comments in addition to the one that has already been handled through our member welfare policy,” Livingstone told reporters in Melbourne.
“Given that there was new information given to us today, it (the Swimming Australia board) felt it was necessary for Barclay to stand down.
“The board takes these allegations of inappropriate comments seriously and, as such, has made the decision that the president steps down to enable a full and independent review to be undertaken.”
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