Sport Integrity Commission investigates Swimming Southland complaint

A complaint relating to Swimming Southland has been escalated to the Sport Integrity Commission. Officials have declined to provide further detail while the process is ongoing.

“Swimming NZ and Swimming Southland are aware of a complaint and have undertaken all available actions,” a Swimming Southland spokesperson said. “The complaint is currently with the Sport Integrity Commission, and as such, we cannot comment further.”

The commission said it did not ”typically go into detail about complaints to protect privacy, process and natural justice”.

Complaints generally follow a formal resolution process, which can include education, mediation and other dispute resolution approaches, the spokesperson said.

The commission said it has handled hundreds of integrity complaints since its establishment, most commonly involving interpersonal issues.

“We deal with complaints from across the range of behaviours outlined under section 5 of our legislation (the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act 2024). We see the most complaints about interpersonal behaviours, including bullying, violence, abuse and sexual misconduct.”

Support is offered to those involved in complaints, including counselling and tailored assistance.

“We work with complainants to understand the type of support they need to help them through the complaints process. That means being culturally responsive and offering age-appropriate support alongside access to free and independent counselling services.”

Meanwhile, Invercargill City Council says it is not involved in the matter and has not received complaints about coaching behaviour at its aquatic facility.

“Invercargill City Council and Splash Palace are not involved in any investigations with the Sport Integrity Commission, and we have not directly received any complaints about coaching behaviour at our facility in recent years,” group manager of community spaces and places Rex Capil said.

Capil said background checks are not required for entry to Splash Palace, but all users are expected to follow facility rules.

“Abusive, disruptive or offensive behaviour is not permitted, and our staff reserve the right to refuse entry or ask someone to leave if we become aware that they are behaving inappropriately.”

He said any concerns about coaching should be directed to the relevant swimming club or event organiser.

Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.