Canada Artistic Swimming (CAS) has parted ways with Senior National Team Head Coach Gábor Szauder, the organization announced Wednesday.
Szauder had been the team’s high performance coach since January 1, 2019, and led the Canadian squad to a sixth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Szauder was named in a lawsuit against the CAS in 2021, where five former members of the Canadian artistic swimming team filed a request for class-action status as they alleged the national governing body failed to provide a safe environment for athletes.
In March 2021, two weeks after the news of the proposed class-action lawsuit, Szauder and the organization mutually agreed that he would take a personal leave due to the situation becoming too difficult to manage.
He returned to work with the CAS prior to the Tokyo Olympics in June 2021, and was cleared by a disciplinary panel that looked into the allegations against him.
He had been coaching the Canadian team as recently as the World Cup Super Final earlier this month in Spain.
In the 2021 lawsuit, Szauder was accused of psychological abuse and using misogynistic and discriminatory language with athletes.
Former national team members alleged in their lawsuit filed vs Canada Artistic Swimming that they complained about Szauder’s behaviour to CAS staff.
“They were told Szauder was ‘European,’ as if this somehow justified his misconduct,” their lawsuit says. pic.twitter.com/SaYd6dHkux— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) June 14, 2023
The 2021 lawsuit saw former artistic swimmers Chloé Isaac, Gabrielle Boisvert, Erin Willson, Gabriella Brisson and Sion Ormond claim that the CAS did not provide an environment “free of psychological abuse, neglect and harassment.”
Kerri Morgan, the CAS Chief Sport Officer, has been named the team’s head coach for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
Canada Artistic Swimming has declined to further comment.
Does anyone know what happened? Strange to let go of head coach right before worlds.