Swimming coach Michael Bohl: Why these innocent-looking photos have kicked off a firestorm in one of Australia’s most loved sports
Aussie swimmers are reeling with frustration after photos surfaced of revered coach Michael Bohl working with Chinese athletes embroiled in a contentious doping scandal.
Bohl, a veteran mentor who has led athletes like Kaylee McKeown, Emma McKeon and Stephanie Rice to Olympic gold, recently took up a new role with the Chinese Swimming Association as an adviser in Shanghai and Beijing.
This week, photos emerged of Bohl in a Chinese team shirt posing with swimmers Qin Haiyang and Zhang Yufei.
The Aussie coach is helping prepare the team for the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles – including 23 swimmers who tested positive to trimetazidine (TMZ) prior to the Tokyo Olympics.
The athletes were cleared on the basis of a finding they had unknowingly ingested the drug via contaminated food.
An investigation later revealed that 25 Aussie swimmers had been beaten by the swimmers in question in the three years before the Paris Games.
Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei was pictured with Aussie coach Michael Bohl
The Aussie swimming mentor was also pictured with top swimmer Qin Haiyang
The issue heavily overshadowed the build-up to Paris 2024 and has led to mistrust from several swimmers.
‘We ask questions and push focus to the nth degree on our own shores,’ Aussie swimmer Mack Horton said.
‘I don’t know if we draw the line at our border or our nation or if we need to take on more ownership globally, I actually don’t have the answer.
‘But if we all want this to work better, and we want a better world, which is kind of a big statement, it starts with us and us being better at expecting high standards of others as well.’
Bohl told Chinese media that their nation’s future in the pool is bright.
‘I think when Pan (Zahle) pops up and wins an Olympic gold medal, it gives the swimming population in China a lot more self-belief and confidence,’ he told Xinhua.
‘Seeing someone from their country perform well at the highest level builds a lot of confidence within the nation.
‘So, the more success China has domestically, the more important it becomes internationally. I believe we will see more and more swimmers performing at that high level.
Bohl has worked with some of Australia’s top swimmers, like Emma McKeon (pictured)
He recently took up a new role with the Chinese Swimming Association as an adviser
‘The potential for China to continue improving and excelling in swimming is huge. There are so many more potential athletes out there.’
The controversy comes after Olympic swimming coach Michael Palfrey got himself into hot water in Paris for supporting a Korean swimmer.
Palfrey was asked to explain himself by the Australian Olympic Committee after dropping the bombshell comment in a poolside interview he did with South Korean TV reporters on the eve of the Paris Games.
Palfrey, who is a coach for the Dolphins and also works with Korean champion Kim Woo-min, said he wanted the rising talent to win gold in the men’s 400m freestyle on Saturday – a race that will feature Aussies Sam Short and Elijah Winnington.
