In too deep Sink or swim? Swimming Australia's bid to have Ian Thorpe reinvigorate the sport was washed up before the London Olympics. TO SOME, signs of the turmoil within Australian swimming could be seen in the lead-up to last year's national titles. Swimming Australia had undertaken a policy to reinvigorate a sport that had alarmingly fallen down the ranks of relevancy - they turned to Ian Thorpe. The powers that be thought that Thorpe, and a group of former champions, could spark interest and publicity in an Australian public that no longer cared enough for Channel Nine to continue its coverage of the national championships. Also, there was an increasing focus on Thorpe's heir-apparent, James Magnussen. The brash and cocky freestyle sprinter had shocked the swimming world with his stunning performances at the world championships in Shanghai in 2011, winning two gold medals and a silver. Magnussen declared that the rest of the world was chasing him in the lead-up to the London Olympics and that Cesar Cielo's 100 freestyle world record would soon be his. Illustration: Matt Golding Libby Trickett and Michael Klim also staged comebacks alongside Thorpe in the lead-up to London. Geoff Huegill had launched his attempt earlier and saw success at the 2010 Commonwealth Games where his story of losing 40 kilograms to win a gold medal was a major topic. With Australia's slide down the world rankings, the focus during the lead-up and opening days of last year's national titles in Adelaide was heavily on Thorpe. The five-time Olympic champion, who had retired in 2006, was followed by his own private camera crew that produced a short film about his comeback. The spotlight on Thorpe even overshadowed Magnussen. But Thorpe was always up against it, having given himself only a year to find the fitness and form to earn a berth in the 100 and 200 freestyle. Times, especially in the 100, had significantly improved in his years out of competition. But press conferences were dominated by Thorpe's presence until the inevitable happened and he bombed out, failing to make the finals of either event. A coach who was on the Olympic team and did not want to be named, said the emphasis that was placed on the comeback swimmers - of whom only Trickett made the team as a member of the 4 x 100 freestyle relay squad - was when the ill-feeling that has been publicly exposed during the past week started. When you're talking about an organisation that's supposed to be looking after elite athletes it wasn't the way to do it because it caused nothing but ill-feeling, and it was like no one else was important enough even on the most basic level. What it depicted for us was that we're hopeless and we need this bloke on the team, otherwise we've got no chance. As mentioned in the Bluestone report into the leadership and culture of Australian swimming, the team's main pre-Games press conference was dominated by Magnussen, with 25 minutes of the half hour on the world champion or the 4 x 100 freestyle relay team, which was expected to kick-off Australia's gold medal collection on the first night of competition. "There was just this overemphasis on Magnussen and the relay and it's like no one else existed and that was even leading up to trials," the coach said. Everyone was searching for this god and he didn't deliver and he was treating himself like a god. We've had swimming superstars before, it's nothing new. We were sitting back [and thinking] this is ridiculous, and the rest of the team is just going [ to ask] 'do we even exist?'. Former multiple world champion and world-record holder Trickett, who disappointed coaches in London with an angry outburst after she was told that she would not swim in the relay final, agreed a change to the way the swimmers were portrayed was needed. "It's a very interesting thing to talk about because on some level there was that feeling that 'Maggie' was separate from the group, a separate entity almost," Trickett said. ..." There is always someone who has performed outstandingly, who has performed consistently over a number of years and they will be the ones who are able to talk well or stir controversy or be the voice of reason, and they will always be the people who the media will be more interested in talking to. He performed exceptionally at the highest level for many years. He's Australia's greatest Olympian and he is someone who deserves that respect and regard that we give him, or the media gives him and the public gives him. It's not something to be jealous of, or disappointed that we're not getting the same attention. It's just the reality. Hopefully what we can do moving forward is to realise that every single person on the team is a very important part and every single person needs to feel valued. I think that is really the issue and not actually that James might get a bit more media attention than other people. National coach Leigh Nugent signalled that the management of high-profile members of the team would change. The damning reports released last week outlined a "toxic" culture, including chronic mismanagement and favouritism, cases of bullying, abuse of prescription drugs, drunkenness and swimmers failing to support teammates. Five of the six-man 4 x 100 freestyle relay team publicly admitted on Friday that they had taken prescription drug Stilnox during a bonding session at a pre-Games camp in Manchester. Dual Olympian Kenrick Monk said despite claims to the contrary many officials knew what had happened. A lot of people are [saying] they had no idea what was happening on the team but [they did]. It just wasn't one, there was a lot of people," said Monk, who is no stranger to controversy himself after two well-publicised incidents in the lead-up to London. There was a lot ... of bullying basically on the team, from senior members to younger members and even younger member on younger members. It was a situation that the coach said also included smaller incidents, such as swimmers not turning up for meetings, which did not happen on previously successful teams headed by Don Talbot and Alan Thompson. Just things that you would never have got away with in the past. People just saw a breakdown in authority really," the coach said. People were scared of Thommo and people were scared of Don Talbot but fearful in a good way. Thommo was an imposing figure. Don was a short man but he'd be [poking] people in the chest and it didn't matter how big you were, everyone was scared of Don, but he commanded respect. You're dealing with different personalities and people really. Leigh has his strengths, he also has some weaknesses but hopefully the person who is employed in that high-performance role [to help him] can take up those weaknesses. Leigh, he's made mistakes, we know that, but we all do. I really cannot speak ill of him but when those tough decision and an iron fist has to be put down there probably needs to be someone else to do that. I think the role needs to be altered a little bit and he certainly has a big role in that team but I think you need someone else [to provide support]. Coach Michael Bohl, who had nine swimmers on the team including Stephanie Rice, Leisel Jones and Bronte Barratt, said: "It's just disappointing ... it's had such a great profile and to see it being dragged through the mud is very difficult as a coach and a former swimmer but events happen and things transpire. Nugent, and new SA president Barclay Nettlefold did not return calls to Fairfax Media. "I think the results in London and a couple of the behavioural issues were the impetus for a deep investigation, which uncovered things that were wrong in all sorts of places and that probably wouldn't have occurred otherwise," said the coach. Probably people would have stayed in positions and boards and we wouldn't have been able to progress. In the short term and, hopefully in the long term, the whole thing should be of great benefit, I reckon, and that's the general consensus among some of our coaches as well.