Toxic swimming clubs: 'We are not in the military'

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Elite swimmers who claim a toxic culture left some careers in tatters and others with long-term health issues said a review of the sport must change attitudes forever.

Former and current swimmers have contacted the BBC after Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson apologised to those who had been harmed by a bullying culture.

Their allegations include being threatened with being thrown off teams if they failed to meet unreasonable weight loss targets, while one group of swimmers dubbed themselves “the Fat Bitch Club” after being told they were too heavy to succeed.

British Swimming Championship medallist Emily Crane said: “There needs to be more accountability for what has gone on.

“Elite swimming does not have to be this brutal – we all work hard, we know it’s tough, but we are not in the military.”

It was announced last month Swim England would ban the weighing of swimmers under 18 after several told the BBC they suffered eating disorders and mental health issues.

But many athletes say their ordeals began at 18, while others say their experiences as children had long-term implications that affect them to this day.

• A highly successful former Team GB competitor who said she had quit before the Olympics because her confidence was “shattered” due to humiliating putdowns regarding her weight and performance. The European medallist, who wanted to remain anonymous, said her periods had stopped for three years due to chronic under-eating to try to her meet her coach’s expectations
• A former elite swimmer who said she had been bulimic for 18 years following comments made about her body by her coach – she said she was undergoing fertility treatment due to years of missed periods. “This has really impacted my whole life,” she said. “I don’t want this to face any other swimmers coming through programmes today.”

Swim England told the BBC it “recognised the bravery of those who have spoken out” and said it was because of them – and those coming forward as part of an ongoing independent review – “we are able to take proactive formative action”.

“We recognise that, on occasions, behaviours have fallen short of the culture we strive for,” a spokeswoman added.

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Ms Crane is among five former swimmers with Loughborough University’s Performance Swimming programme who have told the BBC they were mistreated in what they considered a bullying, toxic environment.

She and two others said they had routinely starved themselves before weigh-ins and skinfold tests – where body fat is measured – for fear of not making the “magic number”.

It is also alleged they attended a presentation showing the skinfold measurements of the world’s fastest swimmers and were threatened with being taken off the team if they failed to reach skinfold targets.

Ms Crane said she was a member of what the swimmers called The Fat Bitch Club, a group of women told they needed extra gym sessions on top of 20-plus hours of swimming a week and normal circuits.

“We called it the FBC,” she said. “We just thought ‘we’ve got to laugh about this, he thinks we’re fat’.

“I got into a very bad habit of not eating because it was all about the numbers. I look back now and I was tiny – losing weight was the only thing I could think of.”

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Loughborough University’s swimming programme is regarded as one of the most successful in the world and has trained several Olympians and world medallists.

Ms Crane said repeated comments about her weight and having her size regularly compared to swimmers with completely different body types took its toll.

“I was told I would have to walk sideways through a door I was that big,” said Ms Crane, who ended her career last year with Ohio State in the US where she found the culture completely different.

One former Loughborough swimmer said the ultimatum over skinfold measurements made her “so worried that this would impact the future of my swimming that I became more focused on my eating and appearance than how I was swimming in the water”.

“We didn’t say anything because we just thought that’s what it’s like to be at Loughborough.”

The practice of measuring skinfolds has caused controversy in Australia, with the country’s governing body vowing to ban them.

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Emily Barclay, a Team GB medallist at the World Uni Games, had the opposite problem regarding her weight – with coaches at Loughborough demanding she put more on.

She said she was told to eat 4,000 calories a day and send pictures of her meals to prove she was eating, something that she said had left her with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) habits to this day.

At one point, she said the need to put weight on had become so pressurised she was weighed daily and sent home if there was no increase.

“It was so confusing, you had to be this perfect middle,” said Ms Barclay, who is now a coach herself after ending her career at Arkansas Razorbacks.

She also said she was stunned at the lack of support for young people swimming at university. Her own coach was the welfare officer, and so there was no-one to raise issues with.

“You are so vulnerable in those years,” she said. “We had nobody to talk to. They need to change their policy in how they deal with adults – there’s just no support for over 18s.”

The BBC’s report of Commonwealth Youth gold medallist Phoebe Lenderyou’s five-year bulimia ordeal – and other swimmers saying they had experiencing widespread bullying – has led many to decide to share their experiences.

Olympic bronze medallist Cassie Patten said she had been left “broken” following years of negative comments while fitness influencer Lucy Davis hailed the weighing ban after she too suffered an eating disorder due to practices she endured as a swimmer.

Image source, Phoebe Lenderyou

Ms Patten and Ms Lenderyou trained with Plymouth Leander Swimming Club, which is closely linked to independent boarding school Plymouth College. The college previously said it had no record of concerns or complaints into coaching practices.

However, the BBC has seen documentation that shows an investigation into bullying at the club took place between 2011 and 2013, following complaints by several young swimmers and their parents.

It involved the then Amateur Swimming Association – now Swim England – the college, club and Plymouth Council’s children services.

The BBC understands the complaints included swimmers being routinely bullied and humiliated as well as multiple weight-shaming allegations.

Four ex-Plymouth swimmers have told the BBC coaches would patrol the school dining room checking what they were eating, while coaches also resided in the swimmers’ boarding houses which made them feel they were unable to escape being controlled.

A treadmill was placed in the girls’ boarding house for those deemed too overweight, to use outside their standard 20-hours plus a week swimming.

Swim England confirmed the investigation took place and it would be instructing “an independent officer to undertake a review of this case”.

Neil Tremayne, operations manager at Plymouth Leander, said the culture at the club now was entirely different and it prioritised the “health and happiness” of swimmers.

“It is very sad and disappointing that swimmers have had to go through this and I hope those affected have been able to get all the support they need,” he added.

“The welfare of our swimmers is absolutely paramount.”

Plymouth College said it was saddened to hear of the experiences of former pupils and said it took the welfare of students extremely seriously, with sporting excellence pursued within a safe framework.

Several swimmers who have contacted the BBC say it was patterns of bullying behaviour that had the biggest impact on them.

Allegations include being ignored for weeks if perceived to be swimming poorly and a culture of favouritism that left many athletes isolated.

Some say they were turfed off the team for no apparent reason and felt immediately replaceable – echoing Cassie Patten’s comments of feeling like a “commodity” to a coach.

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Carmella Kitching was on the path to representing France in major competitions when she decided to study and train at Loughborough to realise her dream.

She said she soon felt her coaches had favourites and she was not one of them.

Ms Kitching said she was left out of training camps and routinely ignored at the poolside when her times slipped during her parents’ separation.

When she said she needed support, she said she was directed to a church on campus because there was no emotional support service for the athletes.

She said she was later removed from the top two squads but said she was determined to continue swimming until leaving Loughborough for France in 2020. She is now a sports masseuse and counts many Olympians among her clients.

“It was a very tough time for me but I never gave up,” she said.

“I think they hoped I would quit and hang up my hat and goggles but I didn’t – it gave me a motivation to prove to them that I am better than that and I deserve to accomplish my goals and dreams.”

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A Loughborough University spokesperson said they wanted “all members of our sport performance programmes to have a positive experience that challenges them to achieve their absolute best”.

Poolside weighing was stopped in 2021, they added, and athletes now opt in to receive body composition – it is not compulsory.

“We are constantly learning and adapting our approach in this area, following new advice, evidence, research and experience, but we recognise that we do not always get things right,” the spokesperson added.

Anonymous surveys are carried out among athletes which enable them to raise concerns and issues.

“Where concerns are raised, they are acted upon, and as a responsible centre for high performance sport we will be looking further into the issues put forward by the BBC for any lessons that can be learnt,” they said.

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help and support is available via BBC Action Line

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