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
Aquageek, you say that the Australians "are doing anything but follow their own rules, which, they are allowed to do."
The point I am making is that they are now CHANGING those rules because their desired result didn't occur! I'm not going to make any more analogies because the one cited before (uh, oh, sorry to sound like you-know-who), weren't answered:
1. Would anyone have cared if Stevens were dq'd?
2. Why are they bothering with a Trials, if they want certain swimmers in certain events?
I'm not even sure if this is moral high ground that I am sitting on. They have a recognized selection process (same as ours). Whether or not there is an offical name or title ("#307, stroke 14B-4.2, states..."), it is what it is and they have abided by, right up until this gust of wind sent Ian toppling into the drink.
Aquageek, you say that the Australians "are doing anything but follow their own rules, which, they are allowed to do."
The point I am making is that they are now CHANGING those rules because their desired result didn't occur! I'm not going to make any more analogies because the one cited before (uh, oh, sorry to sound like you-know-who), weren't answered:
1. Would anyone have cared if Stevens were dq'd?
2. Why are they bothering with a Trials, if they want certain swimmers in certain events?
I'm not even sure if this is moral high ground that I am sitting on. They have a recognized selection process (same as ours). Whether or not there is an offical name or title ("#307, stroke 14B-4.2, states..."), it is what it is and they have abided by, right up until this gust of wind sent Ian toppling into the drink.
