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 Scansy
What may be fair for Thorpe (letting him into the O's) is not fair for Stevens.
It's not so much about what's fair for Thorpe and Stevens as what's fair for the team, the country, the games and the world. It's unfair to deprive the team and country of their best athlete for the event. It's unfair to the games and the world to deprive the other athletes of the opportunity to pit themselves against the best.
Thorpe is the fair choice for everyone except Stevens. I feel bad for the guy, but I'm pretty sure he too knows who belongs on the team, and that he only had his spot via a technicality. Even if he doesn't, if we're going to talk about what's fair, I think that fairness to the team, the country, the sport, the games and the world outweigh fairness to this one guy who shouldn't have been there in the first place. The sportsmanlike thing here is for Stevens to realize his place and step down. Or does he really think he's a better swimmer than Thorpe, and thus deserving of Thorpe's place?
I'm starting to wonder if some of you folks work for the DMV...:p
Originally posted by Scansy
What may be fair for Thorpe (letting him into the O's) is not fair for Stevens.
It's not so much about what's fair for Thorpe and Stevens as what's fair for the team, the country, the games and the world. It's unfair to deprive the team and country of their best athlete for the event. It's unfair to the games and the world to deprive the other athletes of the opportunity to pit themselves against the best.
Thorpe is the fair choice for everyone except Stevens. I feel bad for the guy, but I'm pretty sure he too knows who belongs on the team, and that he only had his spot via a technicality. Even if he doesn't, if we're going to talk about what's fair, I think that fairness to the team, the country, the sport, the games and the world outweigh fairness to this one guy who shouldn't have been there in the first place. The sportsmanlike thing here is for Stevens to realize his place and step down. Or does he really think he's a better swimmer than Thorpe, and thus deserving of Thorpe's place?
I'm starting to wonder if some of you folks work for the DMV...:p
