Sean McCann, swimmer

[TheAverageJoanne]

I noticed the swimmer Sean McCann is being described in every news story as Madeleine McCann's brother. AIBU to think this is unfair to the guy who's trained, qualified and got into the final? It feels very unfair.

We really don’t know how Sean feels about it, though. It may not bother him. There’s an assumption being made that it does bother him.

The media is always going to mention and acknowledge it when a family member of a well-known person achieves something. If he were the brother of a celebrity (for example), his relation to the celebrity would constantly be mentioned. It’s just the way that the world works.

Regardless, I wish Sean lots of luck and hope that his success continues. The entire McCann family deserves this excitement and joy.

Yes, I think the above is a fair assessment. You can't expect it to be not mentioned. If it's done in a matter of fact way, and not gaudy or tactless, I don't think it's hugely unreasonable.

Very well said op! I couldn’t agree more!

And congratulations to his parents as it is hard enough raising an elite athlete - swim training involves particularly brutal early hours training - without everything else they have had to handle and as you say, Sean is extremely talented and deserves recognition in his own right.

Ditto Gerry too who has become a renowned honorary Professor and academic cardiologist recognised for pioneering work related to cardiac MRI. Clinical practice has actually changed bc of his work. Incredible.

I saw something on facebook and his parents were cheering him on
There were loads of nasty comments about how they should be in jail and how can they be out supporting seemingly loooking happy with Madeleine still missing
Whstever happened to Madeleine wss awful but its been over 19 years
For everyones sake the parents are allowwd to have a life and support their other children
Im sure they still greive for Madeleine.

Unsurprising that the link has been made , just like the Murray link with Dunblane. I feel sorry for him and Amelie though.

Oh yeah, there's Kate and Gerry in the crowd. They can't resist drawing it to everyone's attention.

The only interest in any of the competitors should be how good they are at swimming.

Parents of competitors are often shown amongst the spectators, so the connection could never be hidden

Agree, this poor family has been sent to hell and back for a combination of a misjudgment & awful bad luck in a totally different time and place from the norms of 2026 UK. Good on them for this and nice to see the family having some joy at last

This.

He is Sean a nice lad and great talent.

i wish the media would treat him with the same respect.

We spoke about this here just the other day and I agree with your post OP. I had similar thoughts to Adam Peaty and the constant referrals to the Ramsay Family. He has come across as a bit of a sore loser though.

“Misjudgement” hmmmm.

Adam Ramsay-Peaty. He changed his name.

Poor kid. He’s had to live in the shadow of that story all his life and he was so little he probably has no real memories of her. I have often wondered how they coped.

Hmmm having a child born in 2004 who we travelled the world with as a youngster (due to XH's work), I think you're being very generous with your 'different time and place' excuse.

Yeah, he’s got zero problem being associated with the Ramseys.

I actually like it. I remember at the time wondering about the twins and whether they would ever be able to have a normal life or if it would be consumed by what happened to Madeleine. It is very nice to see this and to realise that they have managed as a family to make childhood work for Sean and Amelie.

I have a rough idea what it takes to be a swimmer at that level (my dd is on the Team GB pathway for a different sport, I know what that has involved for us and I know that swimming is far more intensive). To be able to support that level of training means that his parents have not been lost to what happened.

Hopefully he will win a medal and his name will slowly become more and more about his swimming. Similar to Andy Murray and his Dunblane connection.

'....different time and place from the norms of 2026.'
Without wanting to rehash the whole thing, my friends and I have children of a similar age and back in the 2000s nobody left children age 4yrs and younger on their own to go out for the night, whether on holiday or not 🤷‍♀️.

I'd never heard of Sean McCann's involvement in swimming until these Commonwealth Games - presumably the more successful he becomes the less it will be the first thing mentioned. It's always going to be there though.

100% agree. This would really annoy me. May have been a good idea if he'd changed his surname. I mean he shouldn't have to, but I think he should. I would also distance myself from my parents. The ghost of Maddie is never going to leave him and his family. He will always be 'Maddie's brother.' He needs to break free from that family...

.

Maybe he loves his family and doesnt want to distance himself?

I should imagine this has followed them their entire lives. Poor kids x

Same here. Never left children alone, and certainly not whilst on holiday in a place that is pissing distance from Africa. The child was probably on another continent before they realised she was missing.

I hadn't even thought of that. He was a baby. That is so sad that his life anything he achieves will always always be linked back by the press to his sister

Well he should distance himself. Poor lad probably doesn't know any different, and hasn't learned how to break free yet... As has been said, this will follow him around forever....

!

We did for a time though. This will pass too.