Concern around the behavior of Rob Greenwood -- the coach accused of creating a "climate of fear" within the British Para-swimming setup -- was reportedly "brought to the attention of the squad's performance director" in '14, according to Dan Roan of the BBC. Earlier this month, British Swimming apologized to Para-athletes and their families for "unacceptable behaviours" after an independent investigation into a "number of complaints." Greenwood "left his job before the investigation began." Three years ago, the parents of one Para-athlete reportedly wrote to National Performance Dir Chris Furber concerning "remarks Greenwood had made to their child about their use of a wheelchair," which had left the teenage swimmer feeling "ridiculed and humiliated." In an email exchange, the family -- which does not wish to be identified -- told Furber it "did not want to pursue a formal complaint." The family said that this was because it hoped the organization "would learn from the case and there would be no repeat." In his reply, Furber wrote to the family to say that Greenwood's comments had been "clumsy" but insisted they were "not intended to be malicious." Furber said that "the vast majority of athletes use humour with references to their disabilities," a comment which the family believes was "wholly inappropriate" (BBC, 10/27).
