Swimming Australia | |
---|---|
IOC nation | AUS |
National flag | |
Sport | Swimming |
Official website | www |
History | |
Year of formation | 1909 |
Former names | Australian Swimming |
Demographics | |
Number of affiliated Swimming clubs | 1,100 estimated |
Membership size | 100,000 estimated |
Affiliations | |
International federation | World Aquatics |
World Aquatics members page | www |
World Aquatics member since | 1909 |
Continental association | Oceania Swimming Association |
National Olympic Committee | Australian Olympic Committee |
Member of NOC since | 1896 |
National Paralympic Committee | Australian Paralympic Committee |
Member of NPC since | 1990 |
Other affiliation(s) |
|
Board | |
President | Dr Michelle Gallen |
Board |
|
Organisation Structure | |
Chief Executive | Rob Woodhouse [1] |
Head Coach | Rohan Taylor |
Finance | |
Sponsors | Tech Mahindra / Arena |
Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body has approximately 100,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers. The body oversees the management and development of the sport from the national team at the elite level, the conduct of national and international events, through to grass roots participation.
In 1985, the organisation had approximately 90,000 registered members. [2]
Competitive national swimming championships were first held in 1894. Australia had swimmers at most major international swimming events since the 1896 Summer Olympics. [3]
This interest led to the creation of the Amateur Swimming Union of Australia, the precursor to Swimming Australia, which was founded in 1909 at a meeting of state swimming representatives at the Sports Club on Hunter Street in Sydney's CBD. There they established a charter which included the key features of the promotion of uniformity of rules and regulations across Australia; the adjudication all matters of disputes between affiliated associations; the control and management of swimmers visiting Australia; the control and management of Australian representatives in any contest of international nature; and control the recognition of all "best on record" performances. [4]
Within a short time the Amateur Swimming Union of Australia had extended its charter to include negotiation with the recently formed International Swimming Federation (Fédération Internationale de Natation, FINA).
James Taylor was the foundation president and served for the first 35 years of the body's existence from 1909 to 1944.
During 1985, under a new corporate structure, the Amateur Swimming Union of Australia was incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory and became Australian Swimming Inc.
On 1 October 2004, Australian Swimming became a company limited by guarantee and changed its name to Swimming Australia Ltd. [5] Glenn Tasker served as the chief executive officer until June 2008, and the organisation's headquarters is located at Unit 12, 7 Beissel Street, Belconnen, ACT. In 2013, Mark Anderson was appointed CEO.
The Australian Swim Team underwent a rebranding in 2014 and was renamed the Australian Dolphins Swimming Team.
In 2022, it established the Swimming Australia Hall of Fame. [6]
Swimming Australia supports and runs the Swimming Australia National Training Centre at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
Swimming Australia announces a number of awards annually, most notably the Australian Swimmer of the Year Award. [7]
Year | Winner | State |
---|---|---|
1990 | Glen Housman | Queensland |
1991 | Hayley Lewis | Queensland |
1992 | Kieren Perkins | Queensland |
1993 | Kieren Perkins | Queensland |
1994 | Kieren Perkins | Queensland |
1995 | Susie O'Neill | Queensland |
1996 | Susie O'Neill | Queensland |
1997 | Michael Klim | Victoria |
1998 | Michael Klim | Victoria |
1999 | Ian Thorpe | New South Wales |
2000 | Ian Thorpe | New South Wales |
2001 | Ian Thorpe | New South Wales |
2002 | Ian Thorpe | New South Wales |
2003 | Ian Thorpe Grant Hackett | New South Wales Queensland |
2004 | Jodie Henry | Queensland |
2005 | Grant Hackett | Queensland |
2006 | Leisel Jones | Queensland |
2007 | Libby Lenton | Queensland |
2008 | Stephanie Rice | Queensland |
2009 | Jessicah Schipper | Queensland |
2010 | Alicia Coutts | Queensland |
2011 | James Magnussen | New South Wales |
2012 | Alicia Coutts | Queensland |
2013 | Cate Campbell | Queensland |
2014 | Cate Campbell | Queensland |
2015 | Bronte Campbell Emily Seebohm | Queensland South Australia |
2016 | Kyle Chalmers | South Australia |
2017 | Emily Seebohm | South Australia |
2018 | Cate Campbell | Queensland |
2019 | Ariarne Titmus | Tasmania |
2021 | Emma McKeon | New South Wales |
2022 | Mollie O'Callaghan | Queensland |
2023 | Mollie O'Callaghan | Queensland |
2024 | Kaylee McKeown | Queensland |
Swimming Australia's key stakeholders includes:
Swimming Australia is affiliated to the following bodies:
Whilst the following organisations are affiliated with Swimming Australia:
Swimming Australia is also a foundation member of AUSTSWIM and is involved in the development of an Australian Water Safety Organisation. [8]
In July 2014 the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, a Royal Commission of inquiry initiated in 2013 by the Australian Government and supported by all of its state governments, [9] began an investigation into the responses of the Offices of the Directors of Public Prosecutions in Queensland and New South Wales to determine whether to prosecute allegations of child sexual assault; the response of Scone Swimming Club to the convictions of Stephen John Roser for indecent assault and for committing acts of indecency against a child; and related matters. [10] Six former students, a number of swimming executives, government officials, Margaret Cunneen SC , Anthony Moynihan QC , Nicholas Cowdery QC , Lloyd Babb SC , The Honourable Justice Leanne Clare SC and Paul Rutledge gave evidence or made statements before the Royal Commission. [11] The Royal Commission heard from women who alleged they had been abused as children and that despite informing officials, the alleged perpetrators did not face criminal trial on the basis of recommendations provided by government prosecutors in both New South Wales and Queensland. [12] [13] In April 2015 Swimming Australia president John Bertrand issued an apology to former swim students who were victims of sexual abuse. [14]
Allegations against various swimming coaches were reported as first aired in the media up to ten years earlier; [13] [15] [16] and new cases were alleged following the Royal Commission hearings. [17]
The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic religious institute of brothers. In 1817, Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from France, founded the Marist Brothers with the goal of educating young people, especially those most neglected. While most of the brothers minister in school settings, others work with young people in parishes, religious retreats, spiritual accompaniment, at-risk youth settings, young adult ministry, and overseas missions. Since the 2010s an extensive history of sexual abuse within Marist institutions has emerged in the public record.
Knox Grammar School is an independent Uniting Church day and boarding school for boys, located in Wahroonga, New South Wales, an Upper North Shore suburb of Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1924 by the Presbyterian Church of Australia as an all-boys school, and named after John Knox. The school has since grown, branching out into a large Senior School and a Preparatory School, enrolling approximately 2900 students. The school also caters for approximately 160 boarding students from Years 7 to 12.
St Joseph's College is an independent Catholic secondary day and boarding school for boys, conducted in the Marist Brothers tradition, located in Hunters Hill, a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
St Gregory's College Campbelltown is an independent Catholic single-sex and co-educational comprehensive and specialist primary and secondary day and boarding school, located in Gregory Hills, near Campbelltown, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With specialist expertise as an agricultural school, St Gregory's College provides a co-educational environment for students in the Kindergarten to Year 6 primary school; and a boys-only environment for students in the Year 7 to Year 12 secondary schools.
Various individuals, courts and the media around the world have raised concerns about the manner in which cases of child sexual abuse are handled when they occur in congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses. An independent 2009 study in Norway was critical of how Jehovah's Witnesses dealt with cases of child sexual abuse but stated there is no indication that the rate of sexual abuse among Jehovah's Witnesses is higher than found in general society. The organization's stated position is that it abhors child sexual abuse.
Marist College Canberra is an independent Roman Catholic primary and secondary day school for boys, founded in 1968 by the Marist Brothers. The college is situated on 15 hectares and located in the Canberra suburb of Pearce, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The college is a member of the Association of Marist Schools of Australia (AMSA) and the Associated Southern Colleges (ASC).
Blind Sports Australia, formerly the Australian Blind Sports Federation (ABSF) was formed in 1980 as the national body to coordinate sport for the blind and vision-impaired in Australia. It encourages and provides access to international competition in world blind and multi-disabled championships for sports recognised by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). BSA is headquartered near Melbourne.
Alan Thompson is a former Australian swimming coach, who was once the head coach of the Australian swimming team. He was appointed to the role in January 2005 following the resignation of Leigh Nugent after the 2004 Athens Olympics. He took a redundancy package from Swimming Australia in January 2010 and Nugent was re-appointed to the role. Thompson was also a school teacher at his former high school, Sir Joseph Banks High School.
The Irish Amateur Swimming Association (IASA) was the national governing body of swimming in Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1893 and held responsibility for the various aquatic disciplines until it was dissolved in January 1999 following a series of sexual abuse scandals.
Margaret Mary Cunneen SC is an Australian barrister, prosecutor and commissioner of a government inquiry.
The Association of Marist Schools of Australia (MSA) is an organisation that seeks to unite the various schools across Australia which have at any stage in their history been connected to the Australian provinces of the Marist Brothers, Marist Sisters or Marist Fathers, and by that union assist them in the provision of quality Marist education according to the traditions and charism passed down by the founders of the orders, Saint Marcellin Champagnat, Sister Jeanne-Marie Chavoin and Jean-Claude Colin.
The Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Victoria is part of the Catholic clerical sexual abuse in Australia and the much wider Catholic sexual abuse scandal in general, which involves charges, convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests and members of religious orders. The Catholic Church in Victoria has been implicated in a reported 40 suicides among about 620 sexual abuse victims acknowledged to the public after internal investigations by the Catholic Church in Victoria.
Catholic sexual abuse cases in Australia, like Catholic Church sexual abuse cases elsewhere, have involved convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests, members of religious orders and other personnel which have come to light in recent decades, along with the growing awareness of sexual abuse within other religious and secular institutions.
Gymnastics Australia (GA) is the governing body for the sport of gymnastics in Australia.
The Salvation Army, Australia Eastern Territory or (AUE) was one of two administrative territories that The Salvation Army was divided into within Australia and covered 2 states and 1 Australian territory on the east coast of the country. The AUE was geographically sub-divided into 2 divisions, under different Divisional Commanders, each reporting directly to the Territorial Commander. Its headquarters was located at 261-265 Chalmers St, Redfern NSW 2016.
The Salvation Army, Australian Southern Territory or (AUS) was one of two administrative territories. On Friday 30 November 2018, General Brian Peddle announced that the Southern Territory and Eastern Territory were reunited and The Salvation Army in Australia would again be one territory.
While not being urged to avoid competition, women had few opportunities to compete in sport in Australia until the 1880s. After that date, new sporting facilities were being built around the country and many new sport clubs were created. For swimming, the rapid expansion of facilities took place during the 1880s and the 1890s. Compared to the past when the whole of the swimming community was made up of males, currently 55 percent of the Australian swimming membership is made up of women. Not only do females dominate swimming in the pool but there are more than 5,500 female coaches in the swimming world in Australian and over 2,000 female technical officials.
The Salvation Army, Australia Territory is an evangelical Protestant Christian church known for its charity work. It began operating in Australia in the late 19th century. There are currently 335 thrift stores and donation bins across Australia.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was a royal commission announced in November 2012 and established in 2013 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to inquire into and report upon responses by institutions to instances and allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia. The establishment of the commission followed revelations of child abusers being moved from place to place instead of their abuse and crimes being reported. There were also revelations that adults failed to try to stop further acts of child abuse. The commission examined the history of abuse in educational institutions, religious groups, sporting organisations, state institutions and youth organisations. The final report of the commission was made public on 15 December 2017.
The organisation of sport in Australia has been largely determined by its Federal system of government – Australian Government and six states and two territories governments and local governments. All three levels play an important role in terms of funding, policies and facilities. Each major sport is managed by a national sports organisation, with state counterparts that manage community sporting clubs. Umbrella or peak organisations represent the interests of sports organisations or particular sport issues. Education sector plays a small role through universities and schools. Private sector's involvement is extensive in professional sport through facilities, club ownership and finance/sponsorship.