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.
Parents
Former Member
I don't know that anyone at this point is saying Australia can't do what they are doing. It's their organization and their team. They can throw the whole thing out tomorrow and start over if they want.
I'm curious about a couple of things that are sort of on topic.
At what point is a swimmer good enough that rules become technicalities? or are all rules technicalities that swimmers shouldn't worry about? Won't be the end of civilization if we let them slide. It's just sport.
Just exactly which technicalities should the officials apply to Thorpe or other really dominant swimmers? There are lots that can be ignored. I'd think this same discussion would be going on if Hackett had been disqualified on a technicality during the 1500.
He's going to win so why bother with technicality of having to swim 60 lengths? At 1400 when he's 20 seconds ahead, let's invoke the mercy rule and call it done. The length of the race is just a technicality in this case. The race will be long over before the end.
If Aquageek falls in at the start of his next race and he's favored to win by 10 seconds, should we let him swim anyway? No harm done because he was going to win and he gained no advantage. It's not like it's a real rule. It's just a technicality.
I don't know that anyone at this point is saying Australia can't do what they are doing. It's their organization and their team. They can throw the whole thing out tomorrow and start over if they want.
I'm curious about a couple of things that are sort of on topic.
At what point is a swimmer good enough that rules become technicalities? or are all rules technicalities that swimmers shouldn't worry about? Won't be the end of civilization if we let them slide. It's just sport.
Just exactly which technicalities should the officials apply to Thorpe or other really dominant swimmers? There are lots that can be ignored. I'd think this same discussion would be going on if Hackett had been disqualified on a technicality during the 1500.
He's going to win so why bother with technicality of having to swim 60 lengths? At 1400 when he's 20 seconds ahead, let's invoke the mercy rule and call it done. The length of the race is just a technicality in this case. The race will be long over before the end.
If Aquageek falls in at the start of his next race and he's favored to win by 10 seconds, should we let him swim anyway? No harm done because he was going to win and he gained no advantage. It's not like it's a real rule. It's just a technicality.
