Isaac Cooper’s Commonwealth Games ended on a sour note. After missing the final night of swimming and a team meeting, the Australian Olympian has voluntarily stepped down from the Dolphins’ athlete leadership group.

The 22-year-old was absent from Tollcross International Swimming Centre on the closing night of the swimming program, despite having raced in the men’s 4x100m medley relay heats earlier that day. According to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald, Cooper was instead seen drinking in Glasgow while some of his teammates were still competing.

Cooper had also withdrawn from the 100m backstroke final after qualifying eighth from the semifinals. With his own racing finished, Australian swimmers who were not competing were expected to support their teammates from the stands. But that wasn’t the case…

His absence became more significant because Cooper was not simply another member of the Dolphins squad. He had recently been chosen for the athlete leadership group, a position that came after years of rebuilding his reputation within Australian swimming.

Swimming Australia confirmed the incident in a statement, saying Cooper “did not attend the final night of the swimming competition or final team meeting in Glasgow which is in conflict with team expectations.”

The organization added that Cooper had “voluntarily stood down from the team’s athlete leadership group.” However, despite the controversy, he remains selected for the upcoming Pan Pacific Championships in California.

There was no rule preventing athletes from drinking after finishing their competition, and Australian Commonwealth Games athletes were not subject to alcohol restrictions or curfews. The issue, according to the report, was Cooper’s decision to miss the final night and team meeting while his teammates were still competing.

That has cast an unwanted shadow over what was otherwise a spectacular campaign for the Dolphins. Australia finished the Games with 76 medals, including 37 golds, making it the country’s most successful Commonwealth Games swimming campaign.

Cooper himself had played a part in that success. He won gold as a heat swimmer in the men’s 4x100m medley relay and remains one of Australia’s most recognizable young swimmers. But this one moment has now put him in hot water.

In the aftermath of the incident, attention has also turned to how national sporting programs balance athlete wellbeing with leadership expectations. While teams often encourage downtime once competition is complete, the expectation to remain present for teammates until the end of a meet is considered an important part of squad culture.

Cooper’s absence has therefore prompted broader discussion within swimming circles about accountability, maturity, and the responsibilities that come with leadership roles at the elite level.

More importantly, this isn’t Cooper’s first such infraction after which he has found himself having to rebuild.

Isaac Cooper was sent back from the camp at the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Four years ago, Cooper was sent home from an Australian training camp ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham following what Swimming Australia described at the time as “wellbeing challenges, including the use of medication.”

The youngster had then acknowledged his mistakes (misuse of prescription medication) and accepted the consequences, while Swimming Australia said it would continue supporting him.

The setback could have followed Cooper for years. Instead, he gradually worked his way back into the Dolphins setup and eventually earned the trust required to join the athlete leadership group. That turnaround was something Cooper himself had spoken about with pride.

“I didn’t think I had any chance of becoming a leader because I was so young and inexperienced,” he said. “I figured that people would also be holding on to my past a little bit, but I was very grateful that wasn’t the case.”

Head coach Rohan Taylor had also praised the swimmer’s growth shortly before the Commonwealth Games. “He’s grown up in himself,” Taylor said. “He’s really worked on what it means to have a positive impact on the team. I’ve got a really strong relationship with Isaac, and I’m very proud of the young man he is.”

Now, that progress has suffered another setback.

However, for Cooper, the next chapter comes quickly. Swimming Australia has confirmed that he will still compete at the Pan Pacific Championships, meaning there is little time to dwell on what happened in Glasgow.

It’ll be interesting to see if Isaac Cooper can once again re-establish himself as a trusted figure within the Dolphins program or not.