Australian swimming coaches in strippers and porn bonding sessions

Strippers, porn movies and binge drinking were all part of bonding nights held by high-profile Australian swimming coaches, an investigation revealed.

News Ltd are reporting that the findings arose after Swimming Australia commissioned the investigation, the results of which have been leaked to the media.

The private strip shows, held during the national coaching conferences between 2002-2005, have been described as ‘legendary’.

They took place at the a suite occupied by then-head coach Alan Thompson in the Sofitel Broadbeach.

There were rumors the parties were being held in the 1990’s and upto 2009 but an upheaval of the culture of swimming in recent years has ended the practice.

The report outlines a culture of binge drinking when the coaches were together, saying that as many as 12 men were present at some of the strip shows, involving multiple women.

Former Australian women’s coach Rohan Taylor admitted to attending one of the strip shows but played down the incident as nothing sinister.

“It was in a room (at the hotel), it was not a coaches conference-­endorsed thing, it was a group of people who got together who decided to do that rather than go to the place,” Taylor said.

“It was legal, people do it all the time at bachelor parties. I am not condoning it, for me I was in my early thirties then with a group of guys.”

However Brian Sutton, the former head coach of the men’s Olympic team took a more forceful tack.

“Quite frankly I hope the whole damn thing comes out because there are still people on our national team who were involved — to me that is a friggin’ disgrace,” Sutton said.

Sutton walked away from coaching due to illness as well as being disappointed with the ‘behavioral disease’ he felt infected Swimming Australia.

“I knew about it at the time. They sat down at the bar afterwards and the coaches who attended would have a drink and carry on about it in front of me,” Sutton said.

“I heard they would hold a raffle and the (stripper) was the prize.

“This is the sort of stuff, when it comes to the culture, to me they were very hypocritical because they asked the athletes to behave a certain way on the whole … yet the coaches are out on a regular basis,” Sutton said.

Swimming Australia boss Kevin Neil oversaw the inquiry but has not provided any comment as yet on the findings.

Thompson resigned from his position within Swimming Australia in 2010. He did not deny the strip shows took place.

“I have talked about this so many times years ago and I am not going to talk about it any more,” he said.