Truly unbelievable: Olympic diver bullied at school
British diver Tom Daley, who at age 14 finished seventh in the men’s individual 10-meter platform final at last summer’s Beijing Olympics, has been temporarily removed from school after being repeatedly bullied by his classmates, according to a story published Friday in the British newspaper The Guardian.
Tom Daley is still 14; he turns 15 on May 21. In the meantime, his father, Rob Daley, told the newspaper the son had been kept at home this week so as to reduce distraction in advance of an upcoming meet in Florida.
“The bullying is severe,” the father said. “He has been tackled to the floor walking through the school field and in class they throw pens and pencils at him.
“Some of them have even threatened to break his legs. That was the last straw. It has got to the point where enough is enough.”
School officials, according to the newspaper, acknowledged there is a problem, principal Katrina Borowski confirming that Tom Daley’s “extremely high profile” had led to a number of “immature” students being disciplined.
The story Friday followed a Guardian piece published April 18 in which Tom Daley said of what he has been enduring at school, “It has gone on a long time but it reached a peak after the Olympics and has just stayed there. They’ve been taking the mick for ages, calling me ‘Diver Boy’, but they now spend most of their time throwing stuff at me. I thought it would calm down but it hasn’t.”
He also said, “It’s even the little kids. They copy the older ones. Normally I try not to go out during breaks if I can help it. I just stay in class.”
The Guardian said, “It sounds sad that a 14-year-old has to be cooped up inside his classroom in order to evade jibes sparked by his fame as a diver.”
That is sad. But sad only hints at the wrenching description Tom Daley offered of his life at school: ”It is sad and annoying that I can’t have a normal school life. But I put up with it because I’m doing something I love. And I’m lucky I’ve got four good friends. They either sit in class with me or we try and find a far-off corner of the field where no one can see us.”