Coach Michael Palfrey had caused a stir in his country by openly backing South Korea's Kim Woo-min, whom he had previously coached, against the two Australian rivals in the 400m freestyle final.
“I really hope he wins, but most of all I hope he swims well,” Palfrey, wearing an Australian team jersey, told South Korean journalists. “Go to Korea!” ” he said himself.
While calling the comments “anti-Australian”, head coach Rohan Taylor refrained from sacking Palfrey, believing he would have destabilized the team.
On Friday, Swimming Australia finally announced that it had “dismissed Michael Palfrey for breach of his employment contract”, accusing him of “discrediting himself” and “seriously damaging his reputation and that of Swimming Australia.