Michael Palfrey, an Australian swimming coach, was dismissed by Swimming Australia following his comments at the Paris Olympics, where he expressed his support for South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min in the men’s 400-meter freestyle, an event featuring Australian swimmers Sam Short and Elijah Winnington.
Palfrey mentioned to South Korean television that he hoped Kim Woo-min would perform well and ultimately win the race. “I really hope he can win, but ultimately I really hope he swims well,” Palfrey stated during the Games, adding a cheer of “Go Korea.”
In response, Swimming Australia issued a statement on Friday, announcing Palfrey’s termination for breaching his employment agreement. The organization cited that Palfrey’s remarks brought disrepute to himself and caused serious damage to Swimming Australia’s reputation, negatively impacting its interests. Despite the dismissal, Palfrey will retain his coach accreditation status.
Palfrey had previously served as an adviser to Kim and was instructed, along with other Australian swimming coaches, to cease any affiliations with non-Australian swimmers as of March, four months before the Olympics.
In the men’s 400-meter freestyle event, Germany’s Lukas Märtens clinched the gold medal, while Elijah Winnington secured silver, and Kim Woo-min took bronze. Australia’s head swim coach, Rohan Taylor, condemned Palfrey’s comments as “un-Australian” and initially considered sending him home, though Palfrey was ultimately allowed to stay in Paris. Taylor expressed profound disappointment, stating, “For a coach on our team to promote another athlete ahead of our athletes is not acceptable.”
