Trojan Swim Club Announces Suspension Of International Swimmers

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

Head coach of the Trojan Swim Club and USC’s men’s and women’s swimming teams, Dave Salo, announced today in an email to The Los Angeles Times that going forward all international athletes will be suspended from participation with the Trojan Swim Club.

Salo noted that until “I can somehow find a way to assure we [Trojan Swim Club] don’t have these kinds of problems” the suspension will last.

Salo’s news comes on the heels of the Russian doping scandal that was confirmed by the McLaren Report and the announcement by FINA that seven Russian swimmers would no longer be allowed to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Three of the seven banned Russian swimmers, Vladimir Morozov, Nikita Lobintstev, and Yuliya Efimova, have all called Trojan Swim Club home for the past couple years.

Efimova, who has suffered two separate doping bans, one in 2013 for 7-keto-DHEA and one in 2015 for meldonium, had only just recently been allowed to compete at the Rio Games.

Salo further expressed,

They would be stupid to knowingly engage in doping. If it is found to be true then I am thoroughly disappointed. …If the doping problem in Russia is as egregious as the McLaren report suggests and to the extent that the athletes are pawns in the process then I would have to join the cry to suspend all Russian athletes from the Games.

Both Efimova and Morozov have announced intentions to appeal the ban.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

Name*

Email*

32 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Roland Raffin

7 years ago

Isn’t there enough good kids going to high school in the USA to offer scholarships to?
Why are we training international swimmers at our best U.S. Colleges to later compete against us?

Pablo Valedon

7 years ago

Reply to Roland Raffin

I totally agree. Many elite level american swimmers , not at the very top of the American fastest are deprived of earning scholarship funding to attend a university. Instead improving our up and coming swimmers we train the international swimmers to beat us and fund to boot.

Roland Raffin

7 years ago

Reply to Roland Raffin

A lot of these schools also receive federal funding and federal grants! And taxpayers are funding this!

Lisa Greenberg

7 years ago

Reply to Roland Raffin

This is always the question, but this is not the college team. It’s the club elite team.

Collegeathlete

7 years ago

Reply to Roland Raffin

Because we live in a society that wants to grow together and for that we need international exchange. I am an international student in the US myself and enjoy the time in the US. Also, there are plenty of Americans that study in foreign countries and don’t have to pay tuition, because those countries actually have a working education system.

Cleo

7 years ago

Reply to Collegeathlete

Well said.

Rick Stanfield

7 years ago

Reply to Roland Raffin

That’s a different discussion that I think needs exploring. However, this is Trojan Swim Club and not a university.

Jeanne Lewis

7 years ago

Reply to Roland Raffin

Athletes in different sports have always travelled from country to country to work with coaches that they thought would help their careers. I don’t think any of the banned Russians ever swam college for USC.

Jeanne Lewis

7 years ago

Reply to Roland Raffin

I also think it is an enriching experience for members of a usa team to have international teammates, as well as being good for the general school population.

Pablo Valedon

7 years ago

I applaud that a usa coach is voicing his dismay with international swimmers suspected or proven to be doping.
I hope their sponsors follow suit.

Peter Scott

7 years ago

Reply to Pablo Valedon

Unfortunately, he should have spoken out a lot earlier. He had welcomed Efimova back after a second doping. Unfortunately the delay in comming forward to condem the dopers has hurt Trojan Club in the eyes of the world.

Mary Magee

7 years ago

So they are building a wall around the Trojan Swim Club ???????

Jordan Proffitt

7 years ago

Reply to Mary Magee

They already have one. trust me

Suzanne Maranto Baker

7 years ago

Way to go Salo!! So glad to see that you don’t support this, I hope these dopers hear this loud and clear!!

Peter Scott

7 years ago

Reply to Suzanne Maranto Baker

Sorry but Dave Salo has always spoken iut against doping and even legal sports supplements. However,……actions speak louder than words and weloming positive athletes to the program and weloming back repeat offenders is the opposite. Reputation has already been damaged and this is far too late to change that perception and is his own fault unfortunately

Suzanne Maranto Baker

7 years ago

Reply to Suzanne Maranto Baker

I see your point but at least he is doing something about it now!

Blaine Rourke

7 years ago

That’s a rather broad brush they’re painting international swimmers with. Drug test their elite kids, sure…. but to just ban international swimmers seems a bit Trumpish to me.

Butch

7 years ago

Reply to Blaine Rourke

Why should the USA pay for other countries to win gold medals? I’m totally for open borders but this is to win Olympic medals, not for the economy to spin. If athlete’s want to win medals they should train in their own country. If they aren’t training in their own country then they shouldn’t be winning gold medals for that country.

Rick Stanfield

7 years ago

Reply to Blaine Rourke

Not too sure how many non-elite internationals are racing over to Trojan swimming. Unfortunately, with so many doping world wide, I don’t mind a temporary ban on incoming or any here that have been suspected or proven. Only one that bothers me is Morozov. Never heard even hints about him. My guess is Russian swimming is mad for all the time he’s spent over here.

Kathleen Theuerkauf-Iszkula

7 years ago

I just love Dave Salo!

Dan Hemenway

7 years ago

Good job Coach Salo!!!

Brad DeBorde

7 years ago

LOL

Allison Hedge Clark

7 years ago

Victoria Morice Johnson

Vanessa Mylan

7 years ago

Sean

Kim

7 years ago

I would also like them to look at the so called “asthma” swimmers that are now so prevalent. It is amazing how many swimmers have inhalers. After all it is a steroid. When are we going to take a closer look at this as well. Doctors these days will write a note for anything. Just look at the number of “service dogs” in an airport, restaurant or store. The medical profession has lost our trust and parents are willing to have their kids ingest steroids just to get a scholarship or win a race. This problem is really out of control.

Dan Smith

7 years ago

Good and necessary move by Dr. Salo. The report on doping shows that his and other swim coach’s livelihoods and reputations are at stake and threatened by Russians or Russian athletes or both, at the very least. This gives him and other coaches time to consult with US Swimming, WADA, and other coaches to determine the way forward. He has been frank, and open in the press, obviously disturbed by these revelations and has taken time to reason out a potential solution for his clean swimmers.

Tony

7 years ago

I love the way you say ‘suffered’ two separate doping bans like this was some sort of misfortune afflicted upon her by the capricious forces of nature or something

Joe

7 years ago

The Trojan Swim Club is a professional swim club bearing only the name of the USC collegiate team. The clubs swimmers are paying a significant sum yearly to train there. They are NOT college student athletes and therefore not using any taxpayer money. Just saying

Peter Scott

7 years ago

Why he is stoping foreigners? Some of the americans on the squad also have positive tests. He should be condeming the dopers and remiving them….not the foreign athletes whether tgey doped or not. This is his club and his decision but surely the emphasis should be in weeding out the toxic rather than foreigners.

Rick Stanfield

7 years ago

I have issue with dumping all international swimmers if they’ve never been suspected of or had a positive test. I’m ok with not allowing new internationals in until the doping is sorted out. I’m glad Vlad Morozov is contesting his ban. Too my knowledge his only crime to Russian Swimming is swimming here for so long. I’ve never heard of him ever having a bad test or being suspected of doping. The other 2, yes. I would applaud with Pablo suspected or proven, but as I said, that does not fit Morozov.

Carlton Fancher

7 years ago

Great!!!

Billy Swanson

7 years ago

Abby Pearose Tyson Beamer Ashley Hidalgo