Australian swimming officials said on Wednesday that head coach Leigh Nugent will resign after a dismal London Olympic campaign marred by ill-discipline, drug use and drunkenness.

Swimming Australia president Barclay Nettlefold said Nugent would remain with the sport but no longer wanted to continue as head coach, as he rejected press reports he was sacked as "categorically wrong".

Nettlefold said the 61-year-old had approached officials to discuss his future and made it clear he wanted a different role after the pressures of being in charge of the nation's high-performance swim squad.