Athens - Roland Schoeman, the most-decorated Olympic medallist in South African history, has suddenly found himself in the firing line in Athens as officials back home blaze away at him for comments he made regarding financial support for the country's elite swimmers.
The latest salvo to reach the swimmers here came from Gideon Sam, president of Swimming SA (SSA), in which he told a Johannesburg news conference on Wednesday: "If they want to swim for Uganda, then they must go."
The swimmers have decided to sink below the surface as Sam fired his response to statements made by Schoeman, winner of a gold (4x100 freestyle relay), silver (100 freestyle) and bronze (50m freestyle). There was a general "mobile phone switch-off" in the swimming camp. Team coach Graham Hill's cellphone was on constant voicemail.
The feeling is that inter-continental communication generates too much confusion and any problems should rather be sorted out in a proper meeting.
Judging by Sam's response that Schoeman "would have to leave South Africa" if he could not make a living out of swimming, it is apparent that his meaning during last Saturday's media conference at Nocsa's sports club, the Emmantina Hotel on the coastline of Athens, was taken out of context.
Schoeman was emphatic when he said that he would have to consider retiring from international swimming if he could not make a proper living out of South Africa. He also emphasised that his motives were not of greed.
"I need to pay the bills," said Schoeman, who trains with Ryk Neethling and Lyndon Ferns at Tucson University in Arizona. "I need to pay the gas, the electricity and buy food," he said. "We need the kind of financial assistance in swimming that we are not getting from South Africa. I'm speaking for all Olympic and potential Olympic swimmers when I say this.
"Telkom already sponsors swimming, but it would be ideal if they got an extra sponsor on board to specifically look after the needs of their top-tier development swimmers."
Schoeman also said if he retired, he would always want to be involved in South African swimming, to help with development projects.
Sam said SSA was very disappointed by what he described as "baseless allegations" made by Schoeman and another top swimmer, Ryk Neethling, about SSA's lack of financial support for its elite swimmers.
There was no response from the swimming camp on Wednesday to what Sam had told the South African media: "We are not one of the major sports like cricket, rugby or soccer. Our funding comes from Telkom, the Department of Sport and Recreation and the Lotto.
"We don't have contracts to bind our swimmers," he said. "We don't have the financial muscle for that, but we do do our best to support them. But if they think they can make a better living elsewhere, they are free to go.
"If they want to swim for Uganda, they must go there, and we will have no problem signing their transfer papers."
Dave Norman, chief executive of SSA, said the two swimmers were like snivelling schoolgirls. But they would not be hauled before a disciplinary hearing, he said.
"We do want to talk to them so that we can resolve the problems," he added.
Geraldine Schoeman, Roland's mother, said from Athens on Wednesday that it was a pity that SSA did not even talk to the swimmers about their comments to the media before their sharp reply.
Roland has always been grateful for the help he got from SSA and he has told them so," she said.
