Alex Pussieldi — Swimming Coach Driven out of Florida after Allegations of Trafficking and Sexual Abuse — Announces a Tour of Clinics in Brazil, Sponsored by Speedo
November 29, 2024The Questions USA Swimming Must Answer about Exiled Abuser Coach Alex Pussieldi — Now a Sport Powerbroker Back in Brazil
November 30, 2024The full Alex Pussieldi story is told in Chapter 9, “Sex, Lies, and Alex Pussieldi,” of the new book UNDERWATER: The Greed-Soaked Tale of Sexual Abuse in USA Swimming and Around the Globe.
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“Alex Pussieldi — Swimming Coach Driven out of Florida after Allegations of Trafficking and Sexual Abuse — Announces a Tour of Clinics in Brazil, Sponsored by Speedo,” https://concussioninc.net/?p=15974
by Irvin Muchnick
Speedo International Ltd has responded to the news of Alex Pussieldi’s purported Speedo-sponsored swimming clinic tour throughout Brazil early next year by distancing itself from any association with the controversial former Florida coach whose record includes well-documented sexual abuse allegations.
In a statement to Concussion Inc., Speedo said “all marketing activities, sponsorships, or endorsement agreements carried out by Multisport are done without the authorization of Speedo International and we do not support or endorse any of the activities conducted by Multisport in Brazil.”
The full statement is at the bottom of this piece. A measure of Speedo’s eagerness to distance itself from the taint of Pussieldi is the speed of the release. This morning (U.S. Pacific time), Paul Phedon, the CEO of the company’s public relations firm Gung Ho, emailed me to acknowledge receiving our query and promising a substantive response early next week. Instead, Phedon wound up sending the statement within a couple of hours.
While the Speedo International statement is a good start on exposing Pussieldi’s sordid history and blocking his ability to function in organized swimming, it is not a substitute for action by USA Swimming and Confederação Brasileira de Desportos Aquáticos. The essence of the problem with Pussieldi is not a business dispute between Speedo International and Speedo Multisport in Brazil. The essence is that Pussieldi belongs nowhere near kids.
Speedo International Statement
29 November 2024
Multisport Indústria Comércio e Representações Ltda, a Brazilian company, has been operating a business in Brazil r several decades that bears a close resemblance to the appearance of the internationally recognized SPEEDO brand.
It is important to clarify that all marketing activities, sponsorships, or endorsement agreements carried out by Multisport are done without the authorization of Speedo International and we do not support or endorse any of the activities conducted by Multisport in Brazil.
Speedo International is currently engaged in a legal dispute with Multisport regarding the SPEEDO trade marks in Brazil. While a recent judgment favoured Speedo International, the litigation has not yet been finalised, and Multisport continues to operate under the Speedo name in Brazil for the time being.
