USA Swimming Ramps Up Safety, Anti-Doping Rules at House of Delegates

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The USA Swimming House of Delegates passed plenty of new legislation today at the United States Aquatic Sports Convention, but two specific focuses both were approved.

The first is an anti-doping move that enacts several rules banning members from supporting any swimmer currently suspended for doping.

The second is to keep all individuals current suspended by USA Swimming from any deck access at any USA Swimming-sanctioned event.

Here is USA Swimming’s press release announcing some of the changes.

During the USA Swimming House of Delegates meeting today at the United States Aquatic Sports Convention, the USA Swimming membership passed 27 pieces of legislation to strengthen the organization’s efforts in Safe Sport, add restrictions for athletes and coaches found guilty of doping and improve competition operations.

At the conclusion of the House of Delegates, four elected officers to the USA Swimming Board of Directors began their two-year terms. Southern Zone Director (coach) John Roy (North Carolina) and Western Zone Director (non-coach) Dave Coddington (Pacific Northwest) were re-elected to the Board and Eastern Zone Director (non-coach) Mary Turner (Virginia) and Central Zone Director (coach) John Bradley (Minnesota) were newly voted to organization’s volunteer leadership group.

Key legislation approved by the House of Delegates:

· Deny deck access at a USA Swimming or LSC sanctioned event to any individual whose membership has been suspended or denied for violating the organization’s Code of Conduct

· Require the Safe Sport Chair (coordinator) be a voting member of every LSC Board of Directors

· Prohibit Individual Member and Group Members from privately coaching or providing services to any swimmer suspended for doping

· Require coaches who earned any compensation paid by USA Swimming on account of a swimmer who violated an anti-doping rule to forfeit and return prize money

· Allow footage recorded with cameras approved by the Vice President of Program Operations to be used in review stroke or turn infractions called on deck

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