Olympic legend Michael Phelps wasn't holding back when he made a dig at USA Swimming after the latter issued its public release in defense of itself for the recent performance during the Aquatics World Championship in Singapore. The conflict has been building within US Swimming since Phelps and Ryan Lochte lambasted the organization following America's dominance in the pool being challenged.
The Singapore event witnessed the USA top the medal table. But by the end of the competition, China had topped the table as overall leaders in terms of the highest number of gold medals (15) and overall medals (37).
In the competition, Phelps and Lochte posted a meme on their social media platforms depicting the funeral of American swimming. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines also criticized USA Swimming and how the body lacked a CEO, despite the next Olympics being in three years at home in Los Angeles.
This prompted USA Swimming to issue a response, stating the body was "saddened and disappointed at the timing of the comments". The statement was made on behalf of the interim CEO, Bob Vincent.
“We respect and value the opinions of Rowdy, Michael, Ryan, and all USA Swimming alums. We acknowledge that their comments come from a place of passion and genuine desire to see USA Swimming succeed. We are saddened and disappointed at the timing of the comments. The USA Swimming team battled severe illness in Singapore, and these comments added public scrutiny to an already challenging situation for our athletes and coaches," the statement read.
"We are incredibly proud of the resilience of our team in the face of such difficult circumstances and remain confident in the leadership, strategic direction, and culture established by newly appointed National Team Managing Director Greg Meehan," the statement added.
Responding to the statement, Michael Phelps criticized the USA federation for treating him like a "piece of meat" throughout his career.
“Maybe a false statement, because I know they didn’t reach out to Rowdy. They’ve shoved us out the door for years. Treated me like a piece of meat throughout my career. Hopefully it changes someday,” Michael Phelps wrote in the comments section of an Instagram post made by Big Friendly Swim Podcast's account.
America fared poorly at the Paris Olympics in 2024, taking a total of eight gold medals, the lowest since the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
The preparations for the World Championships were marred by the incidence of "acute gastroenteritis". Several athletes contracted this during a training camp in Thailand.
Phelps and Lochte's criticism drew a sharp clap back from current American swimmer Lilly King. She tagged them on social media after a medal-winning night in Singapore, saying, "You have been real quiet tonight."
Responding to this, Phelps wrote, "We should be so proud of how the team swam as a whole …. Right? Apologies for having higher expectations for the leadership of the team. My opinions were way off. USA Swimming has what they finally want: me to ‘stay in my lane’. They will continue to help the kids reach childhood dreams by their continued support.”
