Kieren Perkins Swim violence shocking

The "ugly parent syndrome" on show during the father/daughter skirmish at the world swimming championships is not rare in sport, but is career destroying, Olympic swimming hero Kieren Perkins says.

Kireren Perkins, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, said he was shocked by the vision of a Ukraine father in an altercation with his young daughter, whom he coaches.

The footage was captured by host broadcaster the Nine Network on Tuesday night in a marshalling area at Rod Laver Arena.

"As a father (I was) shocked, just unbelievable," Perkins told Southern Cross Broadcasting.

"You know that stuff goes on, but to actually see it is extraordinarily confronting and there's just never a justification for it.

"As a swimmer, it's not the first time I've seen it and it probably won't be the last time I see it.

"The last time I saw that happen, I was a junior at a state title and I saw a mother pick up a chair and throw it at her son because he got beaten.

"It's frightening - that ugly parent syndrome which you talk about - it's out there and it's something that needs to be addressed and dealt with. How? I don't know.

"It's the greatest destruction of an athlete's career. They think they're trying to motivate and push their kids. But all they're doing is fast-tracking them to oblivion."

Perkins said that while kids could be "silly and violent" towards their parents, it was "stepping way out of line" for a parent to reciprocate that sort of behaviour.

"I think that was the scary thing last night. You could just see the fear in her body language that suggests that it might be, probably, not the first time it's happened and if it's left unchecked it wouldn't be the last."

Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Steve Bracks says the incident will not harm the event's success.

"It doesn't really mar what is a great event and there'll always be certain circumstances that occur in any big event of international status, we accept that as a great international city and state," Mr Bracks told reporters.

"But it doesn't mar the fact that last night there was ... four world records in the pool."