If I am reading this right, Swiminfo.com is reporting that Craig Stevens is indeed going to back out of the 400 and leave it up to Australia Swimming to "pick another member of the Olympic Team" to swim that race in Athens. If I am ANY other country, swimmer, the 3rd place finisher at the Trials or an organization interested in ethics, then I am raising a stink on this one!!!! Thorpe DQ'd and the Aussies are going to skirt the rule and get him in anyway. They would be relegated to the status of Ben Johnson, Rosie Ruiz, and the 60+% of MLB who are on steriods! This is FREAKIN' UNBELIEVABLE. I have no respect for any of the aforementioned and if this happens, none for Ian Thorpe and the Australian swim federation (or whatever official name they hide behind) are in that seeming, stinking pile.
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Former Member
As far as I am concerned the Foster situation is not a tragedy or comparable to the Thorpe situation. Although we may all feel that British Swimming is dumb or out of line for imposing stricter standards for their swimmers, the fact is they did. We keep arguing that selection standards need to be strictly upheld in the case of Thorpe so why not in the case of Foster? He knew for many months the time he had to achieve at the trials and the article about it states that he has achieved this time on many ocasions. So, if he felt he could loaf the trials and still make the team and then failed at that, he doesn't deserve to go to Athens. Shortly before the British Trials he swam a 22.22 at a not so prestigious Netherlands meet....I think he could have gone that time at the British Trials with a little effort. He knew the standard and chose to think he was above it and now hes paying the price...
As far as I am concerned the Foster situation is not a tragedy or comparable to the Thorpe situation. Although we may all feel that British Swimming is dumb or out of line for imposing stricter standards for their swimmers, the fact is they did. We keep arguing that selection standards need to be strictly upheld in the case of Thorpe so why not in the case of Foster? He knew for many months the time he had to achieve at the trials and the article about it states that he has achieved this time on many ocasions. So, if he felt he could loaf the trials and still make the team and then failed at that, he doesn't deserve to go to Athens. Shortly before the British Trials he swam a 22.22 at a not so prestigious Netherlands meet....I think he could have gone that time at the British Trials with a little effort. He knew the standard and chose to think he was above it and now hes paying the price...
