BBC Panorama
Getty PhotographsA world record-breaking swimmer has informed BBC Panorama she was left “damaged” by the cruel regime run by one of many UK’s most profitable swimming coaches.
Rūta Meilutytė, who received gold on the London 2012 Olympics, mentioned Jon Rudd’s deal with weighing and swimmers’ diets contributed to her wrestle with an consuming dysfunction and despair.
In complete, 12 ex-swimmers have informed us they skilled bullying, a poisonous coaching atmosphere and controlling meals tradition at one of many UK’s most prestigious golf equipment for younger elite swimmers when he was head coach.
Rudd had confronted allegations of bullying and verbal abuse throughout his 28-year tenure at Plymouth Leander swimming membership, however the BBC has realized that no motion was taken by the game’s governing physique.
Now we have discovered that Swim England, the governing physique, didn’t act on a confidential 2012 investigation which dominated Rudd needs to be suspended after listening to proof about his behaviour from 17 witnesses.
Swim England’s new chief government Andy Salmon mentioned he didn’t know why Rudd had not been suspended, however he was “deeply, deeply, sorry” to Plymouth’s swimmers and all of these harmed by the governing physique’s failings.
Rudd, who is because of grow to be excessive efficiency director of Saudi Arabia’s Olympic swimming group, has not responded to the BBC.
Getty PhotographsPlymouth Leander attracted aspiring swimmers from all over the world after Rudd established its status as a membership that produced Olympic athletes.
Whereas head coach between 1989 and 2017, he was liable for swimmers’ success, but additionally had safeguarding duties to make sure their wellbeing.
Certainly one of Plymouth Leander’s most profitable swimmers was Antony James, who received silver on the 2010 Commonwealth Video games and represented Crew GB on the 2012 Olympics. He was jailed for 21 years in February for raping two girls he had met at the club.
Three individuals who educated at Plymouth Leander informed Panorama that Rudd, who had coached James since he was eight years previous, ought to have recognized he was curious about youthful women.
A former girlfriend of James, additionally an ex-swimmer, mentioned he was well-known for mixing with younger teenage women and that his standing because the membership’s “golden boy” meant nobody questioned his behaviour.
“Everybody knew – he wasn’t attempting to cover something that he was doing, it was very on the market and open,” she mentioned.
She was 16 and he was 22 once they began a relationship and she or he says she believes she was a “gateway” to his grooming of young women.
Rudd was a coach at Plymouth Leander in 2010 when Lithuanian Rūta Meilutyte moved to the UK to be coached by him.
She made Olympic historical past two years later when, aged 15, she grew to become the youngest particular person to win the 100m breaststroke.
Now 28, she remembers Rudd making chopping feedback about her weight.
When she confided in him that she had been making herself sick after meals to drop some weight, she mentioned he laughed and replied: “Effectively, no less than you get the energy out.”
She mentioned that Rudd did search assist for her as soon as he realised that she was not proud of what he had mentioned.
She additionally described him saying her “ass was fats”, moments earlier than a serious competitors, aged 16.
Regardless of being hailed because the membership’s most profitable swimmer, Meilutytė mentioned Rudd’s regime “made me for some time after which it broke me”.
She left Plymouth Leander in 2017. Rudd’s profession, in the meantime, went from power to power, with him changing into Swim Eire’s director of efficiency swimming in the identical 12 months.
Rudd was employed by Plymouth Faculty, an impartial college, till 2017. It ran a partnership with Plymouth Leander between 2001-2024 and lots of swimmers boarded there.
Among the many different 11 swimmers to make allegations to Panorama about Rudd was Olympic bronze medallist Cassie Patten. She mentioned the coach had made her prepare with an injured shoulder and that it will definitely ended her profession in 2011.
Commonwealth Youth gold medallist Phoebe Lenderyou informed Panorama Rudd’s regime aggravated her consuming dysfunction.
Andy Salmon, who has been CEO of Swim England since February 2024, confirmed to the BBC that no motion was taken towards Rudd regardless of proof swimmers had suffered hurt and the 2012 report’s advice that he be suspended for 4 months.
The report would have remained a secret however for the BBC receiving a tip-off in 2023. It mentioned Rudd had been subjected to a prolonged probe, however that not one of the complainants had been informed the end result.
His case was reviewed after the BBC requested Swim England about it.
In response to the unique investigation, Rudd’s assistant coach, Lindsay Trimmings, must also have been suspended from Plymouth Leander. She was later employed by Swim England to be its head of teaching however left in 2023. When Panorama wrote to her, she mentioned she didn’t need to reply.
“Clearly the organisation did not act on the impartial suggestions made on the time. And I am actually sorry, on behalf of Swim England, for any struggling that that may have led to,” Mr Salmon informed us.
The failings of the 2012 investigation into Rudd have led to the governing physique saying it would review 1,500 safeguarding cases carried out across England between 2002 and 2022.
Swim England commissioned a listening report into all aquatic sports activities after the BBC first shared multiple swimmers’ accounts of mistreatment in 2023. Printed in 2024, the governing physique’s report discovered a tradition of worry in any respect ranges of the game that threatened its future.
Plymouth Leander mentioned it was “deeply involved by the character and severity” of Panorama’s allegations, stating that the membership was “basically totally different” from when Rudd was in cost. It additionally mentioned it had performed a “thorough overview” of its safeguarding insurance policies and procedures to offer “the most secure attainable atmosphere”.
It mentioned Rudd’s employer, Plymouth Faculty, was liable for his “oversight and jurisdiction”.
Plymouth Faculty, which is now underneath totally different possession, mentioned the membership was liable for safeguarding and that it was “deeply involved to listen to these testimonies from swimmers who educated at Plymouth Leander”.
It mentioned the partnership with Plymouth Leander had been terminated and it now ran its personal swimming organisation, Plymouth Faculty Aquatics (PCA).
BBC Panorama has additionally discovered proof of a bullying tradition at Royal Wolverhampton College Swimming Membership, one other main establishment within the sport, as just lately as final 12 months.
Complaints concerning the behaviour of David Painter, the membership’s head coach on the time have been made by the dad and mom of 11 swimmers, throughout 2023 and 2024.
One of many swimmers, Abby, now 17, informed the BBC she was pressured to decide on between her schooling and swimming as a result of Painter wouldn’t let her have day off to organize for her GCSEs.
She attended a special college a number of miles away however mentioned she was informed she would nonetheless have to coach on the morning of exams.
“In the direction of the top I used to be actually having full blown panic assaults,” mentioned Abby, who informed Panorama she was failing at college. She ultimately determined to go away the game.
Alison Hickman, the membership’s former welfare officer, informed the BBC she had given the names of 11 dad and mom who had considerations about Painter to Swim England and mentioned none of them have been contacted by the governing physique.
Swim England informed the BBC it had requested the college to resolve the problems.
The Royal Wolverhampton College mentioned complaints have been confidential. It mentioned the college has “clear safeguarding procedures” and “all formal complaints are investigated swiftly and appropriately”.
Painter, who left to educate in Canada final 12 months, mentioned his “dedication to athlete growth and wellbeing has all the time been on the core” of his teaching, and that he had by no means been topic to “any disciplinary investigations or hearings”. He added that the allegations towards him have been “unfaithful… and defamatory”.
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