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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Where is the rule written (so I can verify) "the best athletes compete..." ? Trust me, anyone who can just make the Olympic Trials from countries such as the US, Australia, Germany, etc ARE the best athletes. On any given day, anyone can be the best (AGAIN, the names that I threw out, Sieben, Sadeyev, Diebel--should these folks have been stricken b/c they weren't the best when they knocked off the best? Then, we would have been denied their stories at the Games. I'm not convinced.
Oh, and thanks for the (partial) vindication Ken.
Dang it Wayne, I was just making a point. The Quance uproar was bogus. She was lazy (in that race) and made the mistake herself. BTW, I use the track start because I can't beat anyone any other way and my balance stinks--someone tell Ian to give it a try!
Where is the rule written (so I can verify) "the best athletes compete..." ? Trust me, anyone who can just make the Olympic Trials from countries such as the US, Australia, Germany, etc ARE the best athletes. On any given day, anyone can be the best (AGAIN, the names that I threw out, Sieben, Sadeyev, Diebel--should these folks have been stricken b/c they weren't the best when they knocked off the best? Then, we would have been denied their stories at the Games. I'm not convinced.
Oh, and thanks for the (partial) vindication Ken.
Dang it Wayne, I was just making a point. The Quance uproar was bogus. She was lazy (in that race) and made the mistake herself. BTW, I use the track start because I can't beat anyone any other way and my balance stinks--someone tell Ian to give it a try!
