Australia, Ireland fight over women's bobsleigh spot

Ozeire

Australia, Ireland fight over women's bobsleigh spot


The president of Ireland's Olympic Council says Ireland "would go into a riot" if its women's bobsled team is removed from competition at the 2010 Olympics by an Australian appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"It would be outrageous if those girls were stripped of their accreditation and sent back home to Ireland," said Patrick Hickey to the Olympic publication, Around the Rings.

"We're already suffering from the football (situation) of (France's) Thierry Henry scoring a goal with his hand and eliminating us from the World Cup finals. And if something like this happened it would be catastrophe altogether."

The Australian Olympic Committee has appealed to allow its two-women bobsled team of Astrid Loch-Wilkinson and Cecilia McIntosh to compete at the Vancouver Games.

It lodged the appeal in an attempt to gain a Games berth for Astrid Loch-Wilkinson and Cecilia McIntosh after the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT) failed to award a place to any team from the Oceania region.

The Australians feel that the FIBT is not upholding its IOC-approved qualifying rules, which state that 18 two-man teams qualify and then two places must be reserved for teams from Oceania and Asia. Yet the FIBT may argue that Australia was already represented by male athletes in the bobsled events in Vancouver.

Ireland says its team of Aoife Hoey and Claire Bergin qualified fair and square and was approved by the FIBT, IOC and VANOC. CAS could decide to allow Australia to compete as a 21st team, which would be acceptable to both NOCs.

John Coates, president of the Australian Olympic Committee, says his group would not have started the appeal had they not believed they have the correct interpretation of the qualifying rule.

An attorney in Australia will argue the case by video-conference.

"What I am very concerned about is the Australians have put us in a very invidious position in that they brought their girls here knowing full well that they were not accredited and would have difficulty," said Hickey. "So why did they make it on the stage the hour before the Games?"

"That should have been done and dusted about one month ago. I think the Australian Olympic Committee are trying to force the hand of the IOC to add an extra team to the event and this is part of their tactics, but I abhor and resent their tactics because it puts our girls in danger, and they're innocent victims in this and they should not be treated like that."

There are reports that the Brazilian bobsleigh federation is also trying to win a spot for its women's bob team, currently ranked 31 in the world, one above the Australian team, three behind the Irish team.

Source

Guys whats with Australia trying to do this to Ireland not like them

Dave!

I really don't think Ireland would riot over women's bobsleigh

m@cc@

C'mon Jamaica!!!

Jagera

There'll be riots at Kilternen.

wicklowwonder

Sorted now they are letting Australia in as the 21st team, think Australia where just chancing there arm by my reading of things, basically top 20 teams qualify for the event, Ireland got in 20th. However Austria pulled there team out and Japan where nominated as the 20th team as they where the best team in Asia, Australia then kicked up a fuss saying if you letting the best Asian's in let us in we are the best in Oceania and there is 5 rings on flags to represent 5 continents.

In the end Olympics let them in in 21st place.

Jordonvito

and fifa laughed at us 4 asking to be number 33

wicklowwonder

Well Sepp Blatter is over the Bobsleigh event..........

Mackman

I would say its not just the Aussies chancing their arm, they really believe that they have the right to be there.
Its their compeditivness (sp?), they have to compete in EVERY sport imaginable. They have the Australian Institute of Sport here, and what they do is, if there is a sport that Australia does not compete in, they will find an athlete doing well at school level, and ask them to come to the institute and learn the sport, and represent Australia in it.

And on top of that, they are very bad loosers. They will whinge, and moan, and appeal until they get their way.

puppetmaster

i agree with mack's view of the ultra competitive aussies. the money they pour into their sports is only second to the US. our womens team didnt even have sponsorship from the irish olympic council. they had to get private sponsorship.

So as regards to Daves comment maybe if we were more like the aussies and supported our nation sportsmen/women we might be doing a hell of a lot better on the international stage!!

wicklowwonder

puppetmaster wrote: »

i agree with mack's view of the ultra competitive aussies. the money they pour into their sports is only second to the US. our womens team didnt even have sponsorship from the irish olympic council. they had to get private sponsorship.

So as regards to Daves comment maybe if we were more like the aussies and supported our nation sportsmen/women we might be doing a hell of a lot better on the international stage!!

oh i think everyone would agree with that. Look at the Brits they invested millions to ensure medals at London 2012 but the results where even evident at Beijing!

JIMWILK

Dear bloggers,
You are incorrect in suggesting that the Aussie women bobsledders enjoy big subsidies,they do not. The two girls, Astrid and Cecilia, put up their own money to compete. They had to qualify by doing the Americas Cup circuit over this winter, and then had the added expense of a trip to Europe to gain the needed points in a Europa Cup race against stiff competition. The Aussie SKELETON girls ARE well subsidized by the Australian Institute of Sport. Like their good friends, Aoife and Clare who well deserve their Olympic start, Astrid and Cecilia have paid their own way, helped also by family and friends. How do I know for certain? Simple - Astrid is my youngest daughter.

JIMWILK

PS The Aussies wont win but they are competitive. Astrid qualified outright in Turin in 2006, beating the Irish girls as well as the Russia 2 team for a spot. In the Olympic race they beat the Japanese too,even with an old technology sled.
They have been beating the Irish girls in practice now in Whistler.
They have yet to compete against the other sleds as they qualified via the Americas and Europa Cups, following the FIBT rules.The Japanese sled has been crash prone this season and some of the Canadians have crashed in practice on the Whistler track, which is fast and tricky - men's sleds hitting 150 km/hr at the bottom. The Aussie girls have recorded 144 km/hr - they are unlikely to have a top 10 finish but I assure you they are not easybeats either.