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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Originally posted by aquageek
This analogy to The Masters is very ill conceived.
Australia has been given the freedom to choose their Olympians. If they decide to be somewhat shady, so what? That's their call, not the IOCs. You may not like their random use of their own rules but you can't randomly enforce an IOC rule that does not exist and claim some higher moral ground.
I agree that Australia may follow whatever selection process they elect. To me, the onus is on Thorpe the Olympian. Will he be a champion in the spirit of Jeff Farrell and REFUSE to accept the offer to swim the 400 free or will he follow Van Almsick and take the opportunity. Which example will he follow?
So far, he's merely said that he wouldn't swim if Stevens was subject to "undue" pressure.
Originally posted by aquageek
This analogy to The Masters is very ill conceived.
Australia has been given the freedom to choose their Olympians. If they decide to be somewhat shady, so what? That's their call, not the IOCs. You may not like their random use of their own rules but you can't randomly enforce an IOC rule that does not exist and claim some higher moral ground.
I agree that Australia may follow whatever selection process they elect. To me, the onus is on Thorpe the Olympian. Will he be a champion in the spirit of Jeff Farrell and REFUSE to accept the offer to swim the 400 free or will he follow Van Almsick and take the opportunity. Which example will he follow?
So far, he's merely said that he wouldn't swim if Stevens was subject to "undue" pressure.
