Swimming Australia report calls for skinfold test ban and female coach quota

An internal review into Swimming Australia’s treatment of girls and women has recommended the organisation drop skinfold tests and the term “physique”, and to adopt a quota for female coaches.

The report lists 46 recommendations, including urging SA to issue a statement acknowledging “the practice of assessing body composition is harmful to swimmers” and to rethink its approach to coaching.

One recommendation said SA should “challenge the misinformed view that lean body mass predicts performance” and that it should develop “training in using humanising and non-objectifying language in managing body image concerns.”

“The term ‘physique’ has meaning and consequences, including overvaluing body shape and size in terms of their impact on performance,” the report reads.

The report goes on to recommend banning “unjustified routine periodic screening”, saying body composition assessments should only be conducted twice a year unless there is a “justified need”.

It says SA should “demonstrate clear leadership” by banning “the use of surface anthropometry, specifically skin folds, as a measure of body composition at any stage of a swimmer’s career”.

It recommends SA integrate training on how “to be an ally”, to “increase the capacity of all coaching staff, but especially the male coaches, to understand the impacts of bullying and exclusion of female coaches and enhance opportunities for creating meaningful change for gender equity.”

The report also addresses SA’s complaints process, recommending it adopts a “character test” for selecting coaches and support staff for teams, which will consider active and previous complaint information, and urging SA to adopt a quota for “female representation among advanced and performance