- Magnussen says men’s swimming has a talent problem
- He says the sport is losing young stars to the NRL and AFL
- Australian women shine in the pool at the Paris Olympics
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has revealed his concerns about the AFL and NRL robbing Australia of future gold medals in the pool.
The Australian swimming team can leave Paris with their heads held high after completing an outstanding swimming campaign.
In terms of gold medals, it is the country’s third-best result at an Olympic Games, behind the nine in Tokyo three years ago and the eight gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Games.
However, men lagged far behind women when it came to winning races, with only one Australian – Cam McEvoy – taking the top spot on the podium.
Magnussen said men’s swimming in Australia has a talent problem and football is a big part of the problem.
“We need to work with our male swimmers,” she said at the Matty and the missile in Paris podcast.
‘We are losing a lot of talent in age-group swimming to professional sports like the AFL and NRL.
‘Let’s say you’ve got Simon Chalmers, a 16-year-old lad, 6’5″, weighs about 200lbs, athletic build… How do we convince him to take up swimming? What opportunities can we offer him? Because at the moment the AFL can offer him $200,000.’
Retired Olympic swimmer James Magnussen (pictured) is concerned the AFL and NRL could rob Australia of future gold medals in the pool.
Magnussen says swimming is losing talent to football codes that can offer big money (pictured, NRL star Nathan Cleary, left, and AFL star Nick Daicos, right)
Last week, the retired swimmer revealed that he had been targeted by vegans after criticising the lack of meaty food options for athletes competing at the Paris Olympics.
The organizers of the Paris Games were determined to make these the most sustainable Olympics ever, prioritizing a green approach in almost every area.
Magnussen, who won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, has suggested the lack of world records in the pool could be partly due to the conditions of the athletes’ village and her “vegan-first mentality”.
“They had a bylaw that said 60 per cent of the food in the village had to be vegan-friendly and the day before the opening ceremony they ran out of meat and dairy options in the village because they hadn’t anticipated that so many athletes would choose the meat and dairy options over the vegan-friendly ones,” she said in her News Corp column.
The Australian swimming team performed well in Paris, with women taking most of the gold medals.
‘The caterer had to readjust their numbers and bring in more of those products because, surprise, surprise, world-class athletes don’t have vegan diets.’
Organizers have since bowed to pressure from athletes and ordered more than 700kg of eggs and a tonne of extra meat to replace fake meat meals and dairy-free options.
Magnussen says his comments have sparked a backlash on social media, where he admits to having “taken a beating.”
“To all vegans, ‘peace be with you, my brothers,'” he said.
“I’m going to sleep peacefully tonight. Do you know why? I have left no carbon footprint today.
‘I sweated my ass off on a bus that had no air conditioning.’
In addition to the vegan food options, Magnussen has also criticized many other things he doesn’t like about the athletes’ village.
“There are many factors that make life in the village far from ideal,” the two-time Olympian wrote.
‘It’s the cardboard beds that don’t give you an optimal night’s sleep.
“The lack of air conditioning will be a big factor as the week progresses. It rained yesterday and was 20 degrees. In the next few days it will be 35 degrees.
‘That’s going to be a factor and the Australian team having their own portable air conditioners will be a welcome relief.