FILE - This Aug. 22, 2010 file photo shows Lance Armstrong, center, greeting fellow riders prior to the start of his Livestrong Challenge 10K ride for cancer in Blue Bell, Pa. Armstrong has cut formal ties with his cancer-fighting charity to avoid further damage brought by doping charges and being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. (AP Photo/Bradley C. Bower, File)

Green says funding could be withheld

Published: 07:00:41 AM, Tue 19 February 2013 UTC

The Australian Olympic Committee could withhold funding from swimmers found guilty of breaching team agreements, London Games chef de mission Nick Green said on Tuesday.

Green was speaking in the wake of two damning reports into the behaviour of the Australian swimming squad at the 2012 Games.

Green said each case would be looked at individually, but sanctions such as withdrawal of funding could be applied if team agreements were breached.

Green welcomed the reports by the integrity unit and Swimming Australia and said if athletes were found to have misbehaved or misused prescription drugs, they would be sanctioned.

"One possible sanction is a funding source - we have a medal incentive for funding for athletes and that is a possible sanction," Green said.

"Every athlete who signed the agreement, we expect the highest standard of behaviour from."

Green rejected a suggestion in the report that there was a "toxic culture" amongst swimmers in London but agreed that there were leadership problems.

"The swimming team like all of our 410 athletes had a great approach," he said.

"I would say the culture in the team wasn't anywhere near what has been described.

"I would say the culture at the time was a normal culture."

But Green agreed that there were administrative issues that had been lax.

"The culture obviously needs addressing and through Swimming Australia there's recommendations that they'll try to change that."

"From an AOC point of view we welcome those changes."

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