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
2. I may be totally mistaken here as I'm doing this from memory. I seem to recall in the 1996 or maybe 2000 Olympics that Carl Lewis DID NOT qualify for some relay but was put on it due to his popular status and desire to break some medal count for a single athlete over a career. It didn't bother me then and this doesn't bother me now. I'm sure there are countless other similar examples.
I think it was in 1996 -- as I recall, at the time it was explained that under USA Track rules, relay teams are NOT selected at the trials meet, but by the head coach (who takes the trials results into consideration, but isn't bound by them). Any advance selection is tentative and can be changed in the head coach's discretion. Whether this is fair or not, at least the athletes know their status is subject to change.
It's true to a limited extent in swimming relays, also -- any of the top six finishers at the trials for the 100 or 200 free can be in the finals relay, not just the top four. For example, in 1996, Sheila Taormina swam a relay final, although she was only the fifth place finisher at the trials.
Different sports have different rules so what happens in one sport isn't really analogous to others. (One false start wouldn't even result in disqualification in track.)
Originally posted by aquageek
2. I may be totally mistaken here as I'm doing this from memory. I seem to recall in the 1996 or maybe 2000 Olympics that Carl Lewis DID NOT qualify for some relay but was put on it due to his popular status and desire to break some medal count for a single athlete over a career. It didn't bother me then and this doesn't bother me now. I'm sure there are countless other similar examples.
I think it was in 1996 -- as I recall, at the time it was explained that under USA Track rules, relay teams are NOT selected at the trials meet, but by the head coach (who takes the trials results into consideration, but isn't bound by them). Any advance selection is tentative and can be changed in the head coach's discretion. Whether this is fair or not, at least the athletes know their status is subject to change.
It's true to a limited extent in swimming relays, also -- any of the top six finishers at the trials for the 100 or 200 free can be in the finals relay, not just the top four. For example, in 1996, Sheila Taormina swam a relay final, although she was only the fifth place finisher at the trials.
Different sports have different rules so what happens in one sport isn't really analogous to others. (One false start wouldn't even result in disqualification in track.)
