Decorated Paralympic swimmer and the Director of U.S. Paralympic Swimming Erin Popovich has sent out a stern email addressing the behavior of American swimmers at the Paralympic Games in Paris, and especially social media posts targeting other members of the team.
“I want to express my deep disappointment regarding the recent conduct observed on social media, which blatantly disregards the message we previously communicated and the Team USA delegation terms,” Popovich wrote. “Engaging in public disputes and targeting teammates on platforms like Instagram is unacceptable and contrary to the values we uphold.”
Popovich says that the athletes involved have been reported to the governing board and that “a disciplinary decision will follow shortly.”
While Popovich’s email did not specify the behavior in question, at least a piece of it is likely related to 37-year-old Christie Raleigh-Crossley. The former NCAA Division III Champion who now competes for the US Paralympic Team has won gold medals in the S9 100 fly and S9 100 back, silver in the S9 100 free, and silver in the S10 50 free. She has been very public about bullying accusations against her before and during the Games. The Paris Games are her Paralympic debut.
She set the World Record in the 50 free in prelims as an S9, but opted to swim in the S10 category in finals instead.
In the Para-swimming classification system, S1 to S10 are for athletes with physical impairments, S11-S13 are for athletes with visual impairments, and S14 is for athletes with intellectual disabilities. In general, the higher the classification, the less-severe the impairment as it relates to swimming.
On a post by World Para Swimming celebrating her World Record, collaborated with Raleigh-Crossley’s professional account, Spanish S9 swimmer Sarai Gascon Moreno commented “S9? It’s a joke?”
American swimmer Jessica Long, one of the faces of the Paralympic Games in the United States, replied to Moreno saying “I stand with you!”
As of Saturday, Long had not removed her comment. Other members of team USA, including Jamal Hill, posted comments of support on the same thread.
Raleigh-Crossley has a neurological condition classified as S9. She suffered neck and back injuries after being hit by a drunk driver in 2007, and a brain injury when she was in another crash a year later.
She said that in the wake of the backlash, she has distanced herself from the US Paralympic swim team and instead has spent most of her time with American athletes from other sports.
With one finals session remaining on Saturday, Team USA has won 9 gold medals and 26 total medals at the Paralympic Games. That ranks them behind three countries plus the Neutral Paralympic Athletes from Russia and Belarus. The Americans won 15 gold medals and 35 total medals
Popovich’s email is in full below:
Dear Team USA Paralympic Swim Team,
I want to express my deep disappointment regarding the recent conduct observed on social media, which blatantly disregards the message we previously communicated and the Team USA delegation terms. Engaging in public disputes and targeting teammates on platforms like Instagram is unacceptable and contrary to the values we uphold.We want to remind everyone that there are established and proper channels available for voicing any concerns or complaints. We encourage you to use these avenues to ensure that all matters are addressed appropriately and respectfully.
For those involved, please be informed that your actions have been reported to the governing board, and you will be placed on notice. A disciplinary decision will follow shortly. This behavior is not in line with the standards expected of Team USA representatives and will not be tolerated.
As we approach the conclusion of these Games, we urge each of you to reflect on your responsibilities as members of this esteemed team. Represent the United States with dignity and respect, and be the supportive teammates we know you can
be.We appreciate your attention to this matter and trust that you will conduct yourselves appropriately moving forward.
Every year, there are always accusations of athletes who are unfairly classified, and this situation will continue. I don’t really know enough about Christie to form any opinions, although I don’t think being called out on social media is right.
For me the worst offending athlete is Australian swimmer, cyclist, athlete, ice skater, and snowboarder Amanda Reid/Fowler, who has competed in able bodied, visually impaired, cerebral palsy and intellectually impaired categories in her career and won in Paris by over a second!
“I don’t think being called out on social media is right” ……….. but go ahead and call out someone on social media in the next sentence ……. 🤔 Sounds like someone has a conflict between the brain and their typing fingers.
It’s not bullying to have an opinion that a swimmer is classified incorrectly. It’s also well known that swimmers overstate their disability during the classification process. Usually when swimmers speak up it’s when it really blatant and an outright medal grab.
“addressing the behavior of American swimmers at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo”
edit: Paris?
While I don’t know enough about this controversy to speak to the specifics, I do know enough about how the USOPC operates to laugh very heartily at, “We want to remind everyone that there are established and proper channels available for voicing any concerns or complaints.”
I’ve heard the same exact thing from USOPC and USA Swimming representatives who were sore after being embarrassed in the media. What they usually mean when they say this is, “You’re supposed to let us sweep all of your complaints under the rug.”
Perhaps there is a reason so many people feel like going to journalists or airing grievances on social media is the most effective channel??
This. Exactly this. No one bullied anyone. They had opinions. And look at US Paralympic Swimming – why would ANY athletes think their concerns would be taken seriously? Silencing the team and the athletes is about the least American thing that I can think of.
There is nothing like a lie that gains traction. At some point there is no going back. An athlete gets let in with a misclassification at the entry level, then the next level verified it, now the lie has a life of its own. The athlete gets so caught up in the lie that they not only believe it they defend it. A community forms around it made up of loved ones and then strangers pick up their cause. This is happening in front of everyone. In plain sight.
The classification that was verified before these Games was fraudulent. Is there a victim in this now very public farce?
Yes. Every swimmer and their country and families who… Read more »
This is nothing new. Christie Raleigh was a controversial athlete before any of her accidents and conditions. Just ask anyone who swam with her at Florida State in the mid 2000’s. There have always been issues, drama, and allegations involving this athlete long before she was classified in para swimming.
This also goes back to high school!
It’s easy to see why classification could be an issue–even beyond the obvious fact that a lot of the competitors in events must have somewhat different physical disabilities that affect performance in different ways.
Can someone explain the controversy here. Other athletes believe Christie Raleigh-Crossley doesn’t deserve to be classified as an S9?
I’m not familiar with the classifications / paraswimming, so I just did a little bit of reading on Wiki… my understanding is that S10 is a classification for athletes with less severe disabilities compared to S9 athletes. This fits with the article in that Raleigh-Crossley broke the S9 WR in the 50 prelims and finished second in the S10 final.
I did also come across an article where she mentioned online bullying questioned whether or not she was “as disabled” as her S9 competitors, which I guess could have driven her to reclassify mid-competition? I think the controversy is that reclassifying is a bit of a disrespectful move to competitors – as if S9 wasn’t a challenge enough, especially… Read more »
There are allegations that Raleigh-Crossley has exaggerated her disability when being classified. According to some other swimswam comments I saw, she performed much faster before and after the meet she was classified at, potentially indicating she purposely performed poorly at the classification meet to be seen as more disabled. On the other hand, symptoms for many conditions can vary from day to day, so another explanation is that she was just more symptomatic on the day she was classified. I’m not weighing in either way—just clarifying the controversy.