After the worst Olympic result in 20 years for Australia's swimming team, many in the sport are calling for someone at the top to take responsibility for the disunity and friction that beset Swimming Australia, its athletes and supporters in the lead-up to the Games.

Swimming Australia has announced its own investigation into why the team's London performance has been so underwhelming, but it now seems both the athletes and their supporters are rebelling against the governing body.

The head of the Australian Swimmers' Association, former Olympic medallist Daniel Kowalski, says at the eleventh hour before the Games began, swimmers and their supporters were dealt some brutal blows by Swimming Australia.

Many athletes had left for final preparations and race meetings overseas when Swimming Australia's executives changed the funding for swimmers to a "high-performance model".

That meant swimmers would be paid a small base rate and a large fee if, and only if, they were successful: $35,000 cash for gold ... $20,000 for bronze ... $4,000 for eighth. Nothing for less.

Swimming Australia said this would help its golden vision to become "the world's number one swimming nation", but swimmers were outraged.

"We are the public face of the sport - to be treated this way - the lack of respect to the swimmers, I'm shocked," Kowalski said.

"And the timing of it all as well; three weeks before the Olympic Games."

Kowalski says if swimmers are being held accountable for their performances at the Games, so too should the administration.

Brenton Rickard picked up bronze in the medley relay and finished seventh in the final of the 200 metres breaststroke.

He says the pay announcement was distracting.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-07/athletes2c-supporters-in-bitter-battle-with-swimming-australia/4183402?WT.svl=news0