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| Australia London 2012 Olympic swim team 'toxic' | Australia London 2012 Olympic swim team 'toxic' |
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| Australia's Olympic swimmers existed within a "toxic" team culture that led to bullying and misuse of prescription drugs, a report has found. | Australia's Olympic swimmers existed within a "toxic" team culture that led to bullying and misuse of prescription drugs, a report has found. |
| The review was ordered by the sport's governing body after Australia's swimmers saw their worst Olympic performance in two decades last year. | The review was ordered by the sport's governing body after Australia's swimmers saw their worst Olympic performance in two decades last year. |
| It found standards and discipline were "too loose", and incidents of "intimidation" were not addressed. | It found standards and discipline were "too loose", and incidents of "intimidation" were not addressed. |
| There was a "dire need" for stronger leadership, the report found. | There was a "dire need" for stronger leadership, the report found. |
| Australia's swimmers won just one gold medal at London 2012, far short of previous medal hauls at other recent Olympics. | Australia's swimmers won just one gold medal at London 2012, far short of previous medal hauls at other recent Olympics. |
| 'Lonely Olympics' | 'Lonely Olympics' |
| The most significant issue, the report found, was a "quietly growing lack of focus on people across the board". | The most significant issue, the report found, was a "quietly growing lack of focus on people across the board". |
| "Participants reported that in the zealous and streamlined attempts to obtain gold medals, the delicate management of motivation, communication and collaboration were lost." | "Participants reported that in the zealous and streamlined attempts to obtain gold medals, the delicate management of motivation, communication and collaboration were lost." |
| There was an "increasingly desperate emphasis on gold", the report said, and morale dropped as the games unfolded without the anticipated medal haul. | There was an "increasingly desperate emphasis on gold", the report said, and morale dropped as the games unfolded without the anticipated medal haul. |
| Management appeared unprepared to tackle the absence of success, it said, leaving swimmers feeling "undefended, alone, alienated". | Management appeared unprepared to tackle the absence of success, it said, leaving swimmers feeling "undefended, alone, alienated". |
| "Swimmers described these games as the 'Lonely Olympics' and the 'Individual Olympics'," the report said, adding that the lack of cohesion meant that poor behaviour went unchecked. | "Swimmers described these games as the 'Lonely Olympics' and the 'Individual Olympics'," the report said, adding that the lack of cohesion meant that poor behaviour went unchecked. |
| "Some individual incidents of unkindness, peer intimidation, hazing and just 'bad form' as a team member that were escalated to personal coaches were not addressed," it said. | "Some individual incidents of unkindness, peer intimidation, hazing and just 'bad form' as a team member that were escalated to personal coaches were not addressed," it said. |
| "There were enough culturally toxic incidents across enough team members that breached agreements (such as getting drunk, misuse of prescription drugs, breaching curfews, deceit, bullying) to warrant a strong, collective leadership response that included coaches, staff and the swimmers." | |
| "No such collective action was taken," the report said. | "No such collective action was taken," the report said. |
| There was a "dire need to develop and enable leadership" throughout the sport, it concluded, listing recommendations that included leadership training for coaches and setting parameters for athletes' behaviour. | There was a "dire need to develop and enable leadership" throughout the sport, it concluded, listing recommendations that included leadership training for coaches and setting parameters for athletes' behaviour. |
| The revelations come in an unhappy two weeks for Australian sport, reports the BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney. | The revelations come in an unhappy two weeks for Australian sport, reports the BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney. |
| Earlier this month, the government released a report from the country's crime commission containing allegations of "widespread" doping across a range of sports, but mainly Australian Rules Football and rugby league. | Earlier this month, the government released a report from the country's crime commission containing allegations of "widespread" doping across a range of sports, but mainly Australian Rules Football and rugby league. |
| This is another damaging blow to the country's sporting reputation, our correspondent says. | This is another damaging blow to the country's sporting reputation, our correspondent says. |