Michael Phelps caught plenty of attention for criticizing USA Swimming in a post during the 2025 World Championships. On Wednesday, Phelps went into greater detail on his critiques in a lengthy post on Instagram.
The post called out USA Swimming for a decline in performance over the past couple years and detailed a number of issues Phelps sees within the program. Before getting into all of that, though, Phelps started the post by clarifying that his criticisms are targeted at the leadership within USA Swimming, and not its athletes.
From there, Phelps laid out his issues with USA Swimming. He started by calling out the team's decline in performance, stating that Team USA won just 44 percent of the medals they competed for in the 2024 Paris Olympics. That was the lowest total the U.S. saw in the sport since 1988.
He then accused USA Swimming of poor leadership, saying that trickles down and affects the athletes involved with the organization. Phelps said he sent a letter to USA Swimming earlier this year, but it "seemed to fall on deaf ears."
While Phelps said money was a factor in USA Swimming's decline, he called "poor operational controls and weak leadership" the "cornerstone of the sport's problems." Phelps explained that he believes athletes are no longer getting the necessary support necessary to compete at the highest level. He called out the sport's declining participation numbers, and said he would be hesitant to allow his sons to compete in swimming.
Phelps then explained that he wants to be part of the solution for USA Swimming. He urged others to weigh in with their thoughts before listing out three recommendations for the organization.
Those recommendations included USA Swimming holding an independent review into the organization as a whole, creating an athlete-first methodology to adequately support swimmers and focusing on strengthening the sport at the grassroots level.
Phelps offered up his services and vowed to be a resource for USA Swimming at the end of the post, saying "My door is open and there is work to be done."
Phelps' post comes just weeks after he shared a critical post from former teammate — and Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte. In that post, Lochte sent out an image in which a funeral was being held for USA Swimming. Phelps asked if the 2025 World Championships would be a "wake-up call" for USA Swimming.
Phelps knows a thing or two about the sport. He's widely considered one of the best swimmers — and one of the best Olympians — of all time. Phelps won a record 23 gold medals over his Olympics career.
Team USA recovered from a slow start at the 2025 World Championships. The team finished with nine gold medals in swimming at the event, which led all countries. It also finished with 29 total medals, which was also ranked first.
Despite the team's success, it's clear Phelps believes more work needs to be done. And he's willing to be a part of that solution.
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