from Swimming World Magazine:
Schoeman, Several South African Stars Facing Raw Deal from National Governing Body
Several topics at play here...
Personally, I find it hard to agree with making some exceptions for studs, but as these guys are essentially paying their own way on behalf of the country/swim federation, I agree that they're getting the shaft here. One could make a case that they're being slightly exploited.
Perhaps Qatar will grand them citizenship and they can train with Duje. One hell of a 400 free relay.
feel free to comment and post other examples of swimmers getting the shaft...
I don't think that criteria was used after that year, but it shows there are exceptions that governing bodies are willing to make for the sake of their athletes.Was Eric’s selection an exception to the criteria or a consideration built into the selection criteria for 1991 due to the timing of Pan PACs?
There is an interesting article at USA Swimming web site about the US selection process
www.usaswimming.org/.../ViewMiscArticle.aspx
There is a great quote by says Peter Dahlberg, the American record holder who missed making the 1972 Olympic team in the 100m breaststroke by .01 seconds, “You do it that day at that moment or you don’t.” And another by Jeff Farrell, the 1960 Olympian who competed in the trials wrapped in bandages from a newly removed appendix “I don’t deserve any special privileges, I’ll swim.”
It also mentions the marginal, as best, DQ at the 96 trials in the women’s 400 IM that kept Kristine Quance-Julian 400 IM’er in the world out of the event a the Olympics.
Dahlberg, Farrell, Quance-Julian, Steve Clark, Kurt Krumpholz and many other have felt the harshness of the selection criteria. But I digress.
This post was about South Africa Swimming and Roland Schoeman. Schoeman is a phenomenal athlete who deserves every opportunity to compete on the world stage, representing his county in every event in which he has met his countries qualifying criteria.
I don't think that criteria was used after that year, but it shows there are exceptions that governing bodies are willing to make for the sake of their athletes.Was Eric’s selection an exception to the criteria or a consideration built into the selection criteria for 1991 due to the timing of Pan PACs?
There is an interesting article at USA Swimming web site about the US selection process
www.usaswimming.org/.../ViewMiscArticle.aspx
There is a great quote by says Peter Dahlberg, the American record holder who missed making the 1972 Olympic team in the 100m breaststroke by .01 seconds, “You do it that day at that moment or you don’t.” And another by Jeff Farrell, the 1960 Olympian who competed in the trials wrapped in bandages from a newly removed appendix “I don’t deserve any special privileges, I’ll swim.”
It also mentions the marginal, as best, DQ at the 96 trials in the women’s 400 IM that kept Kristine Quance-Julian 400 IM’er in the world out of the event a the Olympics.
Dahlberg, Farrell, Quance-Julian, Steve Clark, Kurt Krumpholz and many other have felt the harshness of the selection criteria. But I digress.
This post was about South Africa Swimming and Roland Schoeman. Schoeman is a phenomenal athlete who deserves every opportunity to compete on the world stage, representing his county in every event in which he has met his countries qualifying criteria.
