Swimmer Nick D'Arcy accused of damaging Olympian's home

SWIMMER Nick D'Arcy's grip on Olympic selection has been further shaken by allegations he was part of a group which damaged the house of a Sunshine Coast family who hold a unique place in Australian Olympic history.

The Courier-Mail can reveal D'Arcy allegedly threatened dual Olympian Ray Boyd and his son Matt two years ago when angered about a friendship Matt had entered into with a woman who had previously been involved with D'Arcy.

A glass door was smashed and a letter box at the Sippy Downs home of the Boyds was damaged when D'Arcy and an unknown number of his friends arrived to vent D'Arcy's anger towards pole vaulter Matt Boyd, now 19.

It's the latest blow for D'Arcy as he prepares to plead with the Australian Olympic Committee to keep his place for the Beijing Games in August.

The AOC is investigating a stoush last Sunday morning involving D'Arcy and Simon Cowley which left the retired swimmer with severe facial injuries.

D'Arcy, 20, was charged with assault and grievous bodily harm over the incident and will appear in a Sydney court later this month.

A few days later, it emerged D'Arcy had allegedly been involved in a clash with Sunshine Coast ironman competitor Tim Peach 18 months ago which left Peach with facial injuries.

D'Arcy's father Justin last night refused to comment about the incident with the Boyds but it is understood he paid restitution to the Boyds for damage to the home and the Boyds made no complaint to police. Ray Boyd, a 1972 and 1976 Olympian who is married to Olympic 200m finalist Denise Boyd, last night declined to deny information obtained by The Courier-Mail.

"I have no comment," Mr Boyd said.

His daughter Alana, who went to the same high school as D'Arcy, last month was selected in the Beijing Games team as a pole vaulter, becoming the first Australian Olympian to have two Olympians as parents.

Nick D'Arcy said he could not comment on any of the incidents when he contacted The Courier-Mail for his first interview since the Cowley charges were laid by NSW Police.

He said his bid to go into hiding in Perth had backfired as his swimming career hung in the balance.

"I've been really overwhelmed, I'm not really feeling good," he said.

"I can't go down to the beach here, because of the tension around Tim Peach. It's really put gas on the fire.

"I've just stayed in my hotel."

D'Arcy admitted that he would probably never swim again if he was not allowed to go to the Olympics.

"Yes, that's probably correct," he said. "I haven't been in the pool since it happened."

The AOC this week started an investigation into whether there was cause to expel D'Arcy from the Australian team for the Beijing Olympics. (source)

Lifesaver alleges Nick D'Arcy broke his nose

ANOTHER battered face has come back to haunt disgraced swimming star Nick D'Arcy and put further pressure on his place in the Australian Olympic team.

One of Australia's leading surf lifesavers, Tim Peach, claims he was left with a broken nose and severe bruising after a fight with D'Arcy outside a Sunshine Coast nightclub 18 months ago.

Peach alleged he was knocked to the ground by D'Arcy during an argument over a girl "and blacked out".

"The photos speak for themselves," Peach said.

D'Arcy yesterday stopped short of apologising for a separate incident in a Sydney nightclub on Sunday morning that left former swimming champion Simon Cowley with a shattered eye socket, nose and jaw.

D'Arcy, 20, who has been charged with assault and causing grievous bodily harm and faces a maximum jail term of 10 years, yesterday described the incident with Cowley as an "unfortunate isolated incident".

Peach, who was forced to take a week off work to recover from his injuries, said he did not press charges and was reimbursed a week's salary by D'Arcy's father Justin.

He said he now felt guilty about not pursuing the matter with police after seeing what had happened to Cowley.

"It was pretty horrible how I looked," Peach told The Sunshine Coast Daily News.

But sources close to D'Arcy said the national butterfly champion had not instigated the fracas and should not be held completely responsible for Peach's injuries.

Admitting that he was "pretty drunk" on the night of September 9, 2006, Peach said he was in a line with D'Arcy waiting to get into a Mooloolaba nightclub when the pair began "mouthing off at each other. We had a bit of history over a girl".

The dispute spilled on to the other side of the road where Peach claims he was struck and blacked out.

The next morning, Peach and a friend confronted D'Arcy and his parents at their home.

Peach said he was impressed with the attitude of Justin D'Arcy, a surgeon, who promptly organised X-rays of his broken nose and cash reimbursement for his time off work.

A friend of Peach's said yesterday he had photographed the lifesaver's injuries hours after the incident.

"This wasn't just a smack in the mouth," he said. "He was in real bad shape and at that stage I thought a few blokes had got stuck into him."

A joint panel of the Australian Olympic Committee and Swimming Australia met lawyers for the first time yesterday as part of an investigation into Sunday's incident, which happened just hours after D'Arcy was named in the Australian team for the Beijing Olympics.

It is believed a final decision on whether D'Arcy will be dumped from the squad will be left with the head of the AOC, John Coates.

Olympic sources said yesterday "everyone involved wants this to be resolved as quickly as possible".

Swimming Australia this week offered D'Arcy psychological counselling and public relations support.

Cowley remained at his family's Sylvania home, in southern Sydney, yesterday.

His father Peter refused to comment at length about his son's condition, but said it would require further treatment.

"He hasn't had the operation yet. It will happen later in the week," he said.

D'Arcy, who established an Australian record in the 200m butterfly last week, has been granted conditional bail and ordered to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on April 21.

The incident has split the swimming community.

Olympic swimming legend Dawn Fraser has supported calls for D'Arcy to remain in the team until the issue is finalised in the courts, but former world record-holder Kieren Perkins said he should be dropped. (source)

Swimming Star Accused Over Broken Jaw

An Australian swimmer selected to compete at the Beijing Olympics has been charged with assault after an alleged brawl with a former champion.

Nick D'Arcy, 20, was arrested at the weekend after investigations into a fight at a Sydney nightclub.

Ex-Commonwealth swimming champion Simon Cowley reportedly suffered a broken nose and jaw in the scuffle.

Police later charged D'Arcy with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

He was granted conditional bail to appear in court on April 21.

D'Arcy was recently selected as part of Australia's swimming team for the Beijing Games. (SkyNews)

Nick D'Arcy In Trouble With Law Down Under; Now Charged With Assault; Releases

SYDNEY, Australia, March 29. ACCORDING to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald, newly-minted Olympian Nick D'Arcy is allegedly in trouble with the law after a bar fight.

According to the article, "the altercation took place at a bar at Sydney's King Street wharf area around 2:30am today - just hours after D'Arcy was officially named on the Australian Olympic swimming team for Beijing."

The Australian Olympic Committee has a rule structure in place by which D'Arcy could be removed from the team due to disreputable behavior.

The article also states that the fight may have led to a broken nose for Simon Cowley, a former Commonwealth Games champion. (source)

Swimmer D'Arcy in line for sports award

Controversial swimmer Nick D'Arcy is in line to win a regional sports award, despite facing a charge of grievous bodily harm against former swimmer Simon Cowley.

D'Arcy and pole vaulter Alana Boyd have been pencilled in as joint winners of the March award in the Sunshine Coast Sports Star of the Year Award.

"He was the outstanding performer so he was a bit of a shoo-in," said John Boast, secretary of the local sports funding body Advance Sports, which runs the awards.

Boast is on an awards panel of five, which also includes former Olympic boxer Benny Pike.

"We knew a lot of people would not agree, and we are quite prepared for that. But we've stuck by our guns," Boast told AAP.

"The awards are based purely on sports performance.

"The official decision will be announced next week, but at the moment Nick D'Arcy has been pencilled in for it.

"We're prepared for the flak that will come out."

Pike, who is president of Advance Sports, said on Thursday that the decision had not been finalised, but confirmed it would be based purely on sports performance.

D'Arcy set a Commonwealth record in winning the national 200m butterfly title at the trials, which won him selection in the team for the Beijing Olympics.

The 20-year-old has since been charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm for an alleged king-hit on Cowley at a late night celebration after the naming of the team. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' jail.

D'Arcy has spoken of his "deep regret" over his involvement in the incident and the serious injuries suffered by Cowley, who is due to have surgery on Friday.

Doctors are waiting for the swelling to subside before performing corrective surgery for numerous facial injuries, including a fractured jaw and broken nose.

"I deeply regret my involvement in this incident and the injury occasioned to Simon Cowley," D'Arcy said in a statement.

"I sincerely regret the embarrassment caused to Australian swimming, the Australian Olympic swimming team and to my family."

D'Arcy is the subject of a joint investigation by the Australian Olympic Committee and Swimming Australian, set up to decide whether he should retain his place on the Olympic team.

The investigation, chaired by AOC vice president Peter Montgomery, is also looking into D'Arcy's alleged involvement in an incident in August 2006 in which ironman Tim Peach received facial injuries.

AOC spokesman Mike Tancred said the investigation panel is currently reviewing legal issues and will approach D'Arcy for an interview as its first priority.

However he is unlikely to appear until next week at the earliest, as he is currently in Perth supporting his brother at the national surf lifesaving championships.

The AOC's lawyers have prepared a draft of legal options which is being forwarded to AOC president John Coates, who will make the final decision on whether D'Arcy remains in the team.

Coates is currently in Europe and is due to arrive in Beijing on Saturday for high-level meetings ahead of the Games.

D'Arcy has already withdrawn from the world short course championships in Manchester, UK, next week.

He is due to appear in court in Sydney on April 21. (Courtesy: Yahoo7)