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Citing misogyny, Aussie swimmer pulls out of Olympic trials

Olympics Swimming Australian Trials
Posted at 11:18 AM, Jun 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-11 11:18:06-04

Singer Cody Simpson has been dominating attention ahead of Australia's Olympic swimming trials.

That was until Maddie Groves withdrew from the six-day meet following a series of social media posts condemning "misogynistic perverts" in the sport.

Groves didn't detail her allegations which initially surfaced last year.

Swimming Australia president Kieren Perkins says the sport's officials have been trying to contact the two-time Olympic silver medalist, but "unfortunately at this point, we have not been able to have a direct conversation with Maddie."

Perkins added that they want to "understand exactly what her concerns are, who the people involved are" so they can investigate and deal with it, the Associated Press reported.

Groves took to Twitter on Wednesday, saying, "Let this be a lesson to all misogynistic perverts in sport and their boot lickers - You can no longer exploit young women and girls, body shame or medically gaslight them and then expect them to represent you so you can earn your annual bonus. Time’s UP."

Groves, who won silver medals at the 2016 Olympics in the 200-meter butterfly and a relay, took to Twitter last year to air her grievances about a swimming worker and the way they stared at her in her swimsuit, the AP reported.

The six-day trials for the Tokyo Olympics start Saturday in Adelaide.