USA Swimming Exec Dir CHUCK WIELGUS is "retiring after leading a federation that brought home 156 Olympic medals during his 20 years at the helm," according to Eddie Pells of the AP. Wielgus, who turns 67 next month, has been "battling colorectal cancer for more than 10 years and undergoes regular chemotherapy." Wielgus will "leave his job Aug. 31." He is the "longest-tenured leader among U.S. Olympic organizations, and the 156 medals represent about one-third of America's overall total from the last five Olympics." Wielgus: "This is all about my physical ability. I love my job, love what I do, but I can't do it to the level I think it can be done. It's time for someone else to put their hands on the wheel." During his tenure, USA Swimming's revenue increased by about 600%, and its "four-year, Olympic-cycle budget has grown" from $35M to $160M. Pells noted for the later part of his tenure, Wielgus was "roundly criticized for his handling of numerous sexual-abuse cases against" USA Swimming. In '14, he apologized for an earlier interview in which he said that he had "done nothing wrong" in regards to the accusations. He wrote in a blog post, "I wish my eyes had been more open to the individual stories of the horrors of sexual abuse. I wish I had known more so perhaps I could have done more." Asked what is the biggest problem currently confronting swimming, Wielgus said, "It's doping" (AP, 1/11).
TWITTER REAX: USA Swimming CMO Matt Farrell: "I couldn't have asked to work for a better person, mentor and leader." 3 WIRE SPORTS' Alan Abrahamson: "One of the world's fundamentally decent people. Godspeed, all best." Former USOC Chief of Sports Performance Steve Roush: "Chuck Wielgus taught me so much about the management of sport as my mentor and friend. He is a class act and his shoes will be hard to fill!"
