USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus is retiring after leading the national governing body to unprecedented success over the past five Olympiads. Wielgus announced on Wednesday that he is stepping down from all roles in the federation effective August 31, 2017.

Wielgus took over the top spot on the podium in July 1997 and has since led USA Swimming to 156 Olympic medals since the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. Wielgus also stepped up and assumed a leadership role as chief executive officer of the USA Swimming Foundation in 2004.

"This has been a long and difficult decision, because I love USA Swimming and I have always approached my role with enthusiasm and passion," Wielgus said in a USA Swimming press release. "It has been an honor and a privilege to walk through the doors every day at USA Swimming with our dedicated and talented staff and work in service to our athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers who comprise the membership of our wonderful organization. I believe with all my heart that USA Swimming's best years are ahead. I am confident that the work we have done these past two decades has established a firm foundation upon which future growth can occur."

Wielgus' unique career with USA Swimming has spanned across two decades and witnessed a rapidly changing landscape in the Olympic Movement, swimming in particular. In an interview SportsBusiness Daily this past August, United States Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun noted, "Chuck was there back in the old days, when it really wasn't a best-practices environment for national governing bodies. But he's also thriving in the modern days when you really do have to bring best-practice approaches to complicated sets of problems that NGBs have to deal with. He's bridged that evolution. Swimming's still cutting edge even though Chuck's been there for going on 20 years." ​ ​

In light of the retirement announcement, Blackmun also had strong remarks on Wielgus' ability to promote and advance the ideals of the Olympic Movement stating, "Swimming in the United States has never been stronger, and that is because of Chuck. He is a true sportsman, loving sport for how it makes us feel and how it brings us together."

​​​Blackmun has not been the only one to speak high praise of Wielgus lately.

USA Swimming Board of Directors chair Jim Sheehan noted, "During his almost 20 years as executive director, Chuck has raised the bar for how a CEO in Olympic sports is measured. He has taken USA Swimming places no one could have imagined 20 years ago. From making our Olympic Trials into a world-class event and creating the USA Swimming Foundation to leading an NGB that has been the top producer of podium finishes at the Olympic Games, Chuck has done more than any other person for USA Swimming." 

​​Dick Ebersol​, former NBC Sports & Olympics Chairman, said of his friend, ​"Chuck has built USA Swimming into the best national sports federation in the world, one of excellence and intelligence and heart and, above all, character."
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While Wielgus' awards and accolades are numerous, it is imperative to highlight his ability to lead through scrutiny and adversity. Wielgus faced trying times in the late 2000s when he managed the governing body during a widespread sexual abuse scandal. Though he readily admits he was in the wrong in his early handling of the situation, he was also instrumental in creating and implementing USA Swimming Safe Sport Programming. Safe Sport Safe provides policies, education, a reporting structure, and tools that are intended to serve USA Swimming members to maintain a fun, healthy, and safe environment.  

In his personal life, he has battled with cancer over the better part of the past decade. In 2007, Wielgus believed he had defeated stage 3 colorectal cancer. However, the cancer returned and in 2012 spread to stage 4. Since then, Wielgus has endured round after round of grueling chemotherapy treatment and remained stoic, yet appreciative of his life and the blessings within. ​"I love my job," ​he said to SportsBusiness Daily in August. ​"I absolutely love it. I'm at the stage of my career, the stage of my life, when I'm not going to do something else. I'm very thankful I was given the opportunity to stick around."

​Wielgus' friend and colleague John Leonard, executive director of the American Swimming Coaches Association, stated, "My father once told me that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a purpose, and that was a very fine lesson for me. And in that same metaphor, Chuck has 12 ears and one mouth. Chuck gets along so well because he really listens, not just with ears but with his heart, to what people think." 

​Leonard continued by saying, "I have the utmost admiration for what he has done. From the outside, he's setting a marvelous example for all of us, especially his family, about never giving up. If you're breathing, you've got a chance."

USA Swimming's full press release can be seen here