Swimming Australia has terminated the contract of coach Michael Palfrey after he publicly expressed support for a South Korean swimmer during the Paris Olympics, CNN reports.
Palfrey, who previously worked as an advisor to South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min, had said he hoped Kim would win the men’s 400-meter freestyle race, a competition that also included two Australian athletes. His comments, which included the phrase “Go Korea!”, drew criticism and prompted Swimming Australia to take action.
Swimming Australia said Palfrey’s contract had been terminated “due to a breach of his employment agreement.” The governing body accused Palfrey of bringing himself into disrepute, damaging his and Swimming Australia’s reputation, and negatively affecting the organization’s interests.
“CEO Rob Woodhouse confirmed Palfrey’s employment has ended effective immediately and the process to finding a successor for Palfrey at USC Spartans has begun,” the statement added.
While Palfrey will retain his coaching accreditation status, he has not commented publicly on the matter.
Kim ultimately finished third in the 400m freestyle final, while Australian swimmers Elijah Winnington and Sam Short placed second and fourth respectively. Germany’s Lukas Märtens secured the gold medal.
Winnington, speaking to Nine News, said he was unfazed by Palfrey’s comments.
“Mick’s come and apologized, I don’t think he meant what he said, he’s a great guy, a great coach,” Winnington said. “Obviously, Woo-min trains with him, but yeah, he’s come up to me and he knows that he didn’t mean what he said. At the end of the day, it’s just a comment and I’m just here to race as best as I can.”
Australia’s Chef de Mission Anna Meares described Palfrey’s comments as “a serious error of judgment” and emphasized that Palfrey had acknowledged the impact of his actions.
Palfrey, who debuted as an Australian swimming coach in 2010, has worked with several prominent swimmers, including Zac Incerti, Abbey Connor, and Alex Perkins.
