The U.S. Para Swimming training program in Colorado Springs ceased operations on Oct. 3, a move announced to swimmers via email. This decision was made following the evaluation of resources post-Paralympic Games.
The termination of the program also meant that resident coach George Leatherman departed from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center (USOPTC). The decision to end the program was communicated by Erin Popovich, the director of U.S. Para Swimming; Rachel McKivigan, the USOPC’s Manager of Para Internally Managed Sports; and Matt Cramer, the Director of Para Alpine and Snowboarding.
The U.S. Paralympic Swimming Athlete and Sport Program Plan of 2022 revealed that the resident training program was inclusive of both on and off-campus participants. As part of the program, those participants residing on campus lived in dormitories at the Colorado Springs Olympic and Paralympic Training Center. In addition, all participants had the privilege of using pool and gym facilities and access to various resources like individualized training plans, sports science testing, sports psychology sessions, nutrition counseling, community outreach, and media training.
Participation in the programs was completely up to the discretion of U.S. Paralympics. There were varying rates of participation, which were not publicly disclosed. However, Jessica Long, a 31x Paralympic medalist, and Noah Jaffe, a 100 freestyle S8 silver medalist and Americas record holder, are known to have used the program ahead of the 2024 Paralympics.
In recent years, the program came under fire over a scandal involving Paralympic gold medalist Robert Griswold, who was accused of sexually assaulting a U.S. Paralympic teammate multiple times. This incident occurred while the pair shared a room at the U.S Paralympic Training Center. Griswold, the USOPC, and the SafeSport program were all sued by the family of the alleged victim. Although SafeSport was ultimately dropped from the lawsuit, the case, however, remains unresolved.
Furthermore, the U.S. Paralympic swimming team made headlines at the Paris Games’ conclusion when four swimmers, including Long, were prohibited from attending the closing ceremony due to their social media behavior. The USOPC and Popovich issued statements on the sanctions but did not delve into the details of the behaviors. They also touched on the likelihood that the behavior involved social media posts questioning a teammate’s disability classification, which may result in further corrective actions.
Through the course of their communication, U.S Para Swimming answered a collection of questions they predicted would be raised because of the decision to close the program. They reassured that all national team para swimmers could continue training at the CSOPTC by submitting requests and always having a personal coach present during their exercise. However, this requirement could be problematic for some athletes, particularly those previously in the resident program, as they would need to find new coaches and training facilities.
The closure of the program could be a significant setback for the U.S., as it leaves the country without any significant framework to train Paralympic athletes just as a new Olympic and Paralympic period begins that will conclude with the country hosting the 2028 LA Games.
