Michael Phelps Calls Out USA Swimming's 'Poor Leadership,' Says Program Is 'Broken'

Michael Phelps is arguably the greatest swimmer of all time, but he's not pleased with the way the next generation of swimmers are being developed.

In a lengthy letter posted to his Instagram, Phelps called out the "poor leadership" of USA Swimming and bluntly declared, "No one really wants to talk about how broken USA Swimming has become."

A 23-time Olympic gold medalist, Phelps advocated for major organizational changes to USA Swimming following systemic issues that have been created over the last nine years. He also revealed that he and other former Olympians had previously voiced their concerns to USA Swimming officials earlier this year, but never received a meaningful response. He said it was similar to how he was treated during his career, when he "was told to be grateful for the chance to compete and that it was more important to stay quiet and to keep the peace."

Along with fellow Olympian Ryan Lochte, Phelps criticized Team USA’s performance at the World Championships in Singapore by posting a meme on Instagram that showed a hypothetical funeral for American swimming. Phelps clarified in his letter on Wednesday that his frustrations are directed toward the organization, not the swimmers.

"First, I must be clear that I have the utmost respect for the U.S. swimmers that competed at the World Championships," he wrote. "My criticism is in no way directed at them – I know how hard they work and how honored they are to represent the U.S. National Team. My criticism is about the system, its leadership, and how it’s failing."

Phelps, who has four sons, also wrote that "it pains me to say that I’m not sure I’d want my sons to be a part of this sport at a competitive level." He outlined a short list of steps that he believes can lead to much-needed changes:

1: Commission a 360* independent review of USA Swimming’s Board of Directors and its organization as a whole. Provide complete transparency in this process.

2: Streamline athlete services and develop a proactive, athlete-first way to support athletes competing in the sport. While USA Swimming and the USOPC provide some athlete resources, there needs to be a better way to work directly with athletes to implement what’s available to them.

3: Focus on strengthening the grassroots level of the sport, reversing its pandemic membership decline while developing new ways to foster additional growth.

Phelps made it clear that he's ready to lend his knowledge to USA Swimming in hopes of seeing future improvements, closing his letter with, "My door is open and there is work to be done."