IRRESPONSIBLE ACT?! – AUSSIE SWIMMER DISAPPEARS ON THE FINAL NIGHT OF THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES FOR AN ALLEGED DRINKING SESSION AS THE HEAD COACH SPEAKS OUT.
An Aussie swimmer has voluntarily stood down from his team’s leadership group after missing one of the most important nights at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Isaac Cooper, 22, missed the final night of the competition at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre after choosing to have drinks instead of cheering on his Dolphins teammates on Wednesday.
He was also seen drinking at Australia’s team headquarters.
The Brisbane swimmer had earlier withdrawn from the men’s 100m backstroke final scheduled for that night after qualifying for the final the night before.
He had even swum in the heats of the men’s prelim 4×100 medley relay on Wednesday morning.
Following his absence, the Tokyo bronze medallist was ‘hauled in by team officials and spoken to by Australian head coach Rohan Taylor’, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
His teammates were surprised Cooper did not attend either the final night or the post-session wrap-up meeting despite recently joining the leadership group.
‘Isaac did not attend the final night of the swimming competition or final team meeting in Glasgow, which is in conflict with team expectations,’ a Swimming Australia spokesman said.
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An Aussie swimmer has stripped of his leadership with the swimming team after going missing at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games
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Isaac Cooper (second from right) missed the final night of the competition in the pool after choosing to have drinks instead of cheering on his Dolphins teammates on Wednesday
‘Isaac has since voluntarily stood down from the team’s athlete leadership group.
‘Swimming Australia will not be making any further comment on this issue. We look forward to watching Isaac compete at (this month’s) Pan Pacific Championships.’
While athletes are permitted to drink once their events are over, Cooper’s decision drew scrutiny because he did not attend the venue to support teammates competing in finals, despite being a member of the leadership group.
Cooper will now travel to the United States for the Pan Pacific Championships which begins on August 12 after Australian swimming officials opted to not send him home.
The controversy comes four years after Cooper, who was 18 at the time, was sent home from a training camp in France in the build-up to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games due to the misuse of prescription medication.
‘Cooper has been sent home from the Dolphins training camp following some wellbeing challenges, including the use of medication,’ Swimming Australia said at the time.
‘He has acknowledged his mistakes and accepted the consequences, and Swimming Australia will continue to support him as he addresses these challenges.’
In July, Cooper finally revealed the details of the incident, saying the team doctor had prescribed him with sleeping medication.
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Isaac Cooper, 22, missed the final night of the competition in the pool after choosing to have drinks instead of cheering on his Dolphins teammates on Wednesday
He said he then shared some with his teammates, creating the impression he had taken more than he should have.
‘When I was asked about how much medication I had actually used, I was covering for the person that I shared it with,’ Cooper said.
‘I was never able to expose that and I would never expose that [person].
‘But then I had to deal with the consequences of being seen to be someone who was misusing medication.’
