Australian swimmer Isaac Cooper has voluntarily stepped down from his team's athlete leadership group after missing the final night of competition at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
The 22-year-old Brisbane swimmer skipped the last night of racing at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre on Wednesday, choosing to drink instead of cheering on his Dolphins teammates. He was also seen drinking at Australia's team headquarters.
Cooper had withdrawn from the men's 100m backstroke final scheduled for that night after qualifying for the final the previous evening. He had still swum in the heats of the men's preliminary 4x100m medley relay on Wednesday morning.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Tokyo bronze medallist was hauled in by team officials and spoken to by Australian head coach Rohan Taylor following his absence. Teammates were surprised Cooper skipped both the final night and the post-session wrap-up meeting, given he had recently joined the leadership group.
A Swimming Australia spokesman said Cooper did not attend the final night of the swimming competition or the final team meeting in Glasgow, which was in conflict with team expectations. The spokesman said Cooper had since voluntarily stood down from the team's athlete leadership group, and that Swimming Australia would not be making any further comment on the issue, adding that the organisation looked forward to watching Cooper compete at this month's Pan Pacific Championships.
Scrutiny despite permitted drinking
Athletes are permitted to drink once their events are over, but Cooper's decision drew scrutiny because he did not attend the venue to support teammates competing in finals despite being a member of the leadership group. Cooper will travel to the United States for the Pan Pacific Championships, which begins on August 12, after Australian swimming officials opted not to send him home.
Past incident in France
The controversy comes four years after Cooper, then 18, was sent home from a training camp in France ahead of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games due to the misuse of prescription medication. Swimming Australia said at the time that Cooper had been sent home from the Dolphins training camp following some wellbeing challenges, including the use of medication, and that he had acknowledged his mistakes and accepted the consequences.
In July, Cooper revealed that the team doctor had prescribed him sleeping medication, some of which he shared with teammates, creating the impression he had taken more than he should have. Cooper said that when he was asked how much medication he had actually used, he was covering for the person he shared it with, and that he was never able to expose that and would never expose that person, but then had to deal with the consequences of being seen to be someone who was misusing medication.
