Australian swimmer withdraws from Olympic trials over ’perverts’ in sport

Madeline Groves, a silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Games, has announced her decision to withdraw from the Olympic trials due to “misogynistic perverts” in the sport.

CAPE TOWN, June 11 (ANA) – Madeline Groves, 26, a silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Games, announced her decision to withdraw from the Olympic trials on Wednesday due to “misogynistic perverts” in the sport.

According to the BBC, Groves’s initial allegations were made in November last year, when she raised concerns about a person she had worked with who made her feel “uncomfortable” by the way he stared at her while she was in her swimsuit.

“Let this be a lesson to all misogynistic perverts in sport and their bootlickers,” Groves shared on Twitter.

“You can no longer exploit young women and girls, body-shame or medically gaslight them and then expect them to represent you,” she said.

Groves, a silver medallist in the 200-metre butterfly and 4×100 medley in Rio, added that she was not quitting the sport and planned to compete later this year.

ABC News reported that the president of Swimming Australia, Kieren Perkins, said the sport’s governing body was yet to discuss the allegations despite various attempts to contact the Olympian.

“We have reached out to her in December 2020 to engage with her on these concerns,” said Perkins.

“This is a very concerning thing for us. These types of issues are, to be honest, the highest on my list as president that we need to be aware of and manage,” he said.

Perkins added that it was their priority to ensure the safety of athletes and encouraged Groves to co-operate in order for the body to investigate the claims.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday their proposal for Brisbane to host the 2032 Olympic Games.

Cities including China, Indonesia, Doha and Germany’s Ruhr Valley have also expressed their interest in hosting the Games.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher