Though I promised I would never run a Nicole Jeffrey article ever again how can I not run this story when she flatly "outs" the fact that coaches who are on a suit manufacturers payroll or coaches who work in a dual role as both General Manager and Head Coach and are in a position to choose which suit manufacturer writes your National Governing Body(NGB) a million-dollar-check, how can that not create conflict of interest situation?
I think the evidence is clear: The person who selects which 1-million-dollar suit endorsement for their NGB is the exact person who should not sit on any FINA commission deciding the fate of any suit technology, nor should they be allowed to order athletes, hard sell athletes, or market to athletes which suits to wear. They should be be both independent and neutral.
Again I commend Swimming Australia for foresight to do what is right by dividing those roles:
From the Australian:
By early last year it became clear that if Australia's swimmers continued to wear Speedo's LZR Racer at last year's world titles in Rome, they would be giving up a competitive advantage.
Thompson is not a man who is afraid of a fight and he became embroiled in this one on two fronts. Domestically, he argued forcefully and publicly that Australia's swimmers had to have the freedom to choose the most competitive suit for the world titles, upsetting Speedo and the SAL board.
Internationally, he was one of the leading figures in the campaign to restore the integrity of the sport by banning polyurethane from suits, a campaign that took him away from the national team at times.
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