Alan Thompson (swimming coach)
Encyclopedia
Alan Thompson is a former Australia
n swimming coach, who was once the head coach of the Australian swimming team. He was appointed to the role in January 2005 following the resignation of Leigh Nugent
after the 2004 Athens Olympics. He took a redundancy package from Swimming Australia in January 2010 and Nugent was re-appointed to the role. Thompson was previously a school teacher.
Thomson was an official Olympic Swimming Team Coach for the 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing) Olympics.
Swimming Centre in south/western Sydney from 1987 to 2004. During this period he was also the Head Coach of the Whitlam Swim Team from 1995 to 2004 and Elite Training Centre Coach at the New South Wales Institute of Sport from 2001 until 2004.
(SA) chief executive Kevin Neil said an "anonymous and unsubstantiated" claim of inappropriate behaviour had been brought to the national body's attention regarding Thompson. Neil also said the allegation, which was not a claim of assault and is not a criminal matter, would be independently investigated by Swimming Australia. The claim was brought to Swimming Australia's attention by the media.
On 10 December 2009 it was reported that Swimming Australia had appointed Canberra barrister Louise Donohoe to lead the inquiry into the allegation against Thompson.
Alan Thompsons solicitor was Jim Marsden.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n swimming coach, who was once the head coach of the Australian swimming team. He was appointed to the role in January 2005 following the resignation of Leigh Nugent
Leigh Nugent
Leigh Nugent is an Australian swimming coach. He was the head coach of the Australian swimming team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Under his leadership, Australia tallied seven gold, five silver and three bronze, its best ever haul at an Olympics outside of Australia, and second only to the...
after the 2004 Athens Olympics. He took a redundancy package from Swimming Australia in January 2010 and Nugent was re-appointed to the role. Thompson was previously a school teacher.
Thomson was an official Olympic Swimming Team Coach for the 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing) Olympics.
History
Thompson ran his own swim school (Alan Thompson’s Swim School), at the CampbelltownCampbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
Swimming Centre in south/western Sydney from 1987 to 2004. During this period he was also the Head Coach of the Whitlam Swim Team from 1995 to 2004 and Elite Training Centre Coach at the New South Wales Institute of Sport from 2001 until 2004.
Coach/Manager Positions Held
Thompson has served as coach or manager at local, State and International levels. Apart from Olympic competitions he has worked at:- Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth GamesThe Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
2002 ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... - Commonwealth Games 2006 MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
- Pan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsPan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsThe Pan Pacific Swimming Championships is a long course swimming event first held in 1985. The meet was initially staged biennially , to allow for an international championship-level meet in the non-Olympic and non-World Championships years...
2002 YokohamaYokohamais the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu... - Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 2006 VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(Head Coach)
- World Championships 2001 FukuokaFukuokaFukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
- World Championships 2003 BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
- World Championships 2005 MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
(Head Coach) - World Championships 2007 MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
(Head Coach) - World Championships 2009 RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(Head Coach)
- Short Course Worlds: 2006 (Head Coach), 2004, 2002, 2000(Manager), 1995(Manager)
- Open Water World ChampionshipsOpen Water World ChampionshipsThe FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships, or more commonly the "Open Water Worlds", was a bi-annual event of the international governing body of aquatic sports . Open water swimming is a long-distance, non-pool event. These championships were held in even years, between the years 2000 and...
: 2004 (Head Coach)
Office Positions Held
He has also served as a committee member or office holder of many state, National and International swimming organisations.- FINAFinaFina may refer to:*Fina, a character in the Skies of Arcadia video game*FINA, the International Swimming Federation*FINA, the North American Forum on Integration...
(Fédération Internationale de Natation) Coaches Commission, Honorary Secretary (2000–05, 2005–09) - World Swimming Coaches Association - Board member (1994- )
- World Swimming Coaches Association - President (1998–2001)
- Swimming Australia High Performance Committee (2000- )
- Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association - Board member (1987–2004)
Awards
Thompson has received several awards in recognition of his work.- 1999 Australian Swimming Open Water Coach of the Year
- 2001 Commemorative Ring (#54) - Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association
- 2002 ASCTA Open Water Coach of the Year
- 2003 ASCTA & Australian Swimming Open Water Coach of the Year
Complaint and investigation by Swimming Australia
In early December 2009 Thompson took personal leave following a claim of "inappropriate behaviour". Swimming AustraliaSwimming Australia
Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body currently has approximately 90,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers...
(SA) chief executive Kevin Neil said an "anonymous and unsubstantiated" claim of inappropriate behaviour had been brought to the national body's attention regarding Thompson. Neil also said the allegation, which was not a claim of assault and is not a criminal matter, would be independently investigated by Swimming Australia. The claim was brought to Swimming Australia's attention by the media.
On 10 December 2009 it was reported that Swimming Australia had appointed Canberra barrister Louise Donohoe to lead the inquiry into the allegation against Thompson.
Alan Thompsons solicitor was Jim Marsden.
Findings
On 12 April 2010, the final findings of the enquiry were presented to the board of Swimming Australia. The board found "there was no evidence found to support the allegation of inappropriate behaviour made against Mr Thompson". An 'out of session' board meeting was held on 13 April to discuss the findings. In a statement on its website Swimming Australia said it will not be making further comment as it considers "This matter is now closed".Rugby league
Thompson, a long-time supporter of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs rugby league club, was appointed general manager of its football operations on 15 April 2010.External links
- Swimming Australia
- World Swimming Coaches Association - Alan Thompson
- Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association
- Swimming Australia NCAS (National Coaching Accreditation Scheme) Gold Licence
- Fédération Internationale de Natation ("International Swimming Federation)