© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
After a difficult showed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, USA Swimming made some significant changes to its leadership structure. Those changes didn’t seem to pay much dividends at the 2025 World Championships, and now the organization is facing criticism from its biggest star.
Michael Phelps laid into USA Swimming amid a dismal performance at the World Championships.
“Call it a funeral or call it a fresh start. We’ve got 3 years,” Phelps shared on Instagram alongside a tombstone with United States Swimming 1980-2025 written on it.
Several current Team USA swimmers hit back at Phelps, but the legendary Olympian didn’t back down.
“We should be so proud of how the team swam as a whole …. Right? Apologies for having higher expectations for the leadership of the team. My opinions were way off. USAS has what they finally want, me to ‘stay in my lane.’ They will continue to help the kids reach childhood dreams by their continued support 😳,” Phelps said in response to criticism from women’s star Lily King.
Michael Phelps Makes It Clear That He Is Still Unhappy With USA Swimming
Following his initial criticisms, Phelps took to Instagram this week to go more in-depth about his issues with USA Swimming and how he’d like to see them addressed.
Phelps noted that his issue is not with the competitors, like King, who are still performing at high levels. Instead, he takes umbrage with the leadership of USA Swimming.
“I’ve asked myself what’s changed in our sport and the answer is clear,” he wrote, “… This isn’t on the athletes as they continue to do the best they can with what they’ve been given. This is on the leadership of USA Swimming. Poor leadership trickles down and can impact an organization at every level.”
While the U.S. has struggled, comparatively, at the Olympics and World Championships over the last year, Phelps says his issues come down to far more than medal counts.
“I’ve watched too many teammates struggle to compete in a sport they love without the support they need,” he wrote. “I’ve also seen the sport struggle to return its membership to pre-pandemic levels, and I’m done pretending this system works just because it produces medals.”
He then pointed directly to three things he’d like to see done in order to help stem the tide: launching an independent review of the entire USA Swimming organization, developing a better system of directly supporting athletes, and focusing on “strengthening the grassroots level of the sport.”
Phelps also offered to personally play a role in any way that USA Swimming asks. Whether or not it takes him up on that offer, however, remains to be seen.