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
"Golly", I'd like to see the kid who QUALIFIED for the race get a chance. Afterall, he's trained for a little while to earn it. Plus, there is no guarantee (as Matt points out) that the US benefits from Thorpe being out. Some stud may come along and change the entire "game" (see: Sieben, Jon '84 AUS 100 Butterfly or Poll, Sylvia '88 Costa Rica 200 Freestyle). Upsets happen (caused by any variety of instances) and that is why the "no guarantees" side of this is so fun: Sieben, Roque Santos, Nelson Diebel, the tie between Steinsifer and Woodhead in '84, Amanda Beard's win in '00, Sadeyev's 200 in '92. Would anyone change any of these things?
"Golly", I'd like to see the kid who QUALIFIED for the race get a chance. Afterall, he's trained for a little while to earn it. Plus, there is no guarantee (as Matt points out) that the US benefits from Thorpe being out. Some stud may come along and change the entire "game" (see: Sieben, Jon '84 AUS 100 Butterfly or Poll, Sylvia '88 Costa Rica 200 Freestyle). Upsets happen (caused by any variety of instances) and that is why the "no guarantees" side of this is so fun: Sieben, Roque Santos, Nelson Diebel, the tie between Steinsifer and Woodhead in '84, Amanda Beard's win in '00, Sadeyev's 200 in '92. Would anyone change any of these things?
