Swimming Queensland (SQ) has announced that former Olympic swim coach, Scott Volkers, will be removed from its Hall of Fame amid a continuing cloud of scandal. Volkers had been a member of the Queensland Hall of Fame since 2008, when he was inducted in recognition of his achievements, which included coaching the Australian national swimming team and serving as Head of Swimming at Queensland’s Academy of Sport until 2002.
However, as reported in July 2014, three of Volkers’ former swimmers, Julie Gilbert, Kylie Rogers and Simone Boyce claimed they were abused as children while training in Volkers’ swim squad in the 1980s and 1990s. A detailed account of the three swimmers’ allegations can be read here.
The charges against Volkers were eventually dropped, but the coach was subsequently twice denied by Australia for ‘blue card’ status, which rendered him legally unable to work with children within the country. Volkers then left Australia and took up a post at Minas Tennis Clube in Brazil, where he would go on to train Cesar Cielo for a brief period of time in 2014.
According to The Courier Mail, Volkers has “denied all allegations of wrongdoing” and the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions is currently considering “whether there are sufficient grounds to lay charges against Volkers for the alleged sexual abuse claimed by the trio.”
Says Hassemann of the serious claims, “This is, first and foremost, about the right of children and young people to participate in swimming free of inappropriate behavior from adults and particularly those in a position of trust. After considering the Royal Commission material and Mr Volkers’ response, the Swimming Queensland board has withdrawn Mr Volkers from the Hall of Fame.”
