Swimming duo under fire over gun pictures

Olympic swimmers Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk are in hot water again after being ordered to remove photos of themselves posing with guns from their social media sites.

The photo of Monk holding two pump-action shotguns and standing beside D’Arcy, who had a pistol in each hand, in a US gun shop spread quickly in social and traditional media yesterday, with the Sydney Daily Telegraph taking to Twitter to ask: “Are you offended by this photograph of Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk in a US gun shop?”

Swimming Australia issued a statement saying it became aware of “inappropriate photos” and “instantly contacted the athletes involved to ask for them to be removed.”

D’Arcy and Monk have faced disciplinary panels before. Both are on the way back to Australia from a meet in the US and will be asked to explain the photos.

D’Arcy was excluded from the Australian team for the 2008 Olympics after assaulting another swimmer in a bar fight in Sydney the night he won selection in the squad. He was later convicted and ordered to pay former Australian swimmer Simon Cowley compensation for serious facial injuries, but declared himself bankrupt claiming massive personal debts.

Monk was lucky to avoid charges after hitting the headlines last year for falsely claiming to police that he had been the victim of a hit-and-run auto accident. He later admitted that he was injured when he fell off his skateboard.