darcy dumped from olympics

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D'Arcy dumped from Olympics
Email Printer friendly version Normal font Large font Jacquelin Magnay and Tim Dick
April 19, 2008

At long last, time to be accountable
How the king hit can maim or kill

THREE nights ago, swimming officials spotted Nick D'Arcy about midnight at a Sunshine Coast bar playing billiards. The midweek early-to-bed discipline of the past decade was missing and D'Arcy was clearly struggling with the interminable waiting to see if his lifelong dream was to be shattered.

When the axe fell yesterday, D'Arcy was out surfing. It was left to his mother, Susan, contacted by her son's legal team, to run anxiously across to the beach, mobile phone in hand, and give him the devastating news. It was an email from the president of the Australian Olympic Committee, John Coates, terminating the butterfly champion's membership of the Australian Olympic team.

Earlier someone had hung five hoola-hoops in the colours of the Olympic rings from the eaves of the garage door at D'Arcy's home, in Buddina on the Sunshine Coast.

D'Arcy faces assault charges after an incident in which the former Commonwealth Games swimming champion Simon Cowley was badly injured.

While D'Arcy stayed inside yesterday, his upset father, Justin, told media: "Today's decision comes as a huge disappointment to Nick, to his family and to all his supporters after years of hard work in preparation towards his Olympic dream.

"I think, if you look at this, you can understand our position … and the great disappointment that we have just at present."

Brian Stehr, who has coached D'Arcy since the swimmer was five, called the decision unjust. He blamed media pressure and said it could mean the end of D'Arcy's swimming career.

"I doubt that he will swim again - this will be the end of his swimming career," said Stehr, who had given D'Arcy a reference to present to Mr Coates. "Basically, for him, it's a life sentence if you consider that perhaps your one opportunity to swim in the Olympics has been taken away from you.

"I think it's a classic example of trial by media and, listening to John Coates's announcement, it sounded very much like they'd taken heed of those media reports and that's unfortunate.

"They painted a picture of Nick being a thug. I think one of the headlines … called him a swim thug, which he's not.

"[He] never goes out looking for trouble. Unfortunately it's found him on a couple of occasions in his life and that's one of those things."

D'Arcy did not make any statement. Stehr said he was coping "pretty well".

It is understood D'Arcy will lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday morning, the same day his criminal case is mentioned in the Downing Centre Court.

D'Arcy has been charged with two counts of assault, including one count of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm, after the incident involving Cowley. Cowley's family said they would not make any comment about


D'Arcy's axing from the Olympic team. Cowley has had his jaw wired shut since extensive reconstructive surgery, which included the insertion of five facial plates.

Last week D'Arcy had attempted to restart his training, saying he wanted to be in the best form he possibly could for the Olympics if there was a favourable outcome. But the battle to keep motivated has been hard.

An Olympian who successfully challenged the Australian Olympic Committee in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the cyclist Sean Eadie, told the Herald that D'Arcy should be prepared for an even more draining process than he had experienced so far if he appealed.

"Having never been to court before, it was a very daunting process and, having met the selection criteria, I was forced to fight for my position due to circumstances outside of the sport," Eadie said. "It was a very, very large distraction."

Eadie said his training was cut by two-thirds while fighting the case, from the normal six hours a day to two hours. And he often found himself training at 10pm, having been with lawyers during the day.

"It is the sapping of mental energy that is the most significant thing. As athletes we usually deal with routines and the known, and it is a mental blowout of stress dealing with the unknown," Eadie said.

"You are so mentally drained that it is difficult to invest any energy into training."

The cyclist Jobie Dajka, who was axed from the Athens Olympic team for lying, told the Herald last week his unsuccessful appeal cost him $60,000 and contributed to three years of hell, during which he lapsed into alcoholism and depression.

Mr Coates said he had terminated D'Arcy because it was clear that, having been charged with criminal offences of such a serious nature, it was sufficient to bring him and the sport of swimming into disrepute.

He said the charges were likely to bring the team and the Australian Olympic Committee into disrepute if he continued to be a member of the team.

D'Arcy had signed the Olympic team agreement several months ago and it was also signed by his mother. He had also attended a "shadow" team meeting during which information about the Olympic team agreement was explained.

Mr Coates also considered D'Arcy's conduct in relation to other incidents. These include a fight involving the Mooloolaba ironman Tim Peach 18 months ago, and that he was part of a group that vandalised the home of the Olympian Ray Boyd two years ago.

Mr Coates said he had considered submissions D'Arcy provided on a confidential basis.

D'Arcy has been charged with two counts of assault, including one count of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm, after the incident involving Cowley. Cowley's family said they would not make any comment about


D'Arcy's axing from the Olympic team. Cowley has had his jaw wired shut since extensive reconstructive surgery, which included the insertion of five facial plates.

Last week D'Arcy had attempted to restart his training, saying he wanted to be in the best form he possibly could for the Olympics if there was a favourable outcome. But the battle to keep motivated has been hard.

An Olympian who successfully challenged the Australian Olympic Committee in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the cyclist Sean Eadie, told the Herald that D'Arcy should be prepared for an even more draining process than he had experienced so far if he appealed.

"Having never been to court before, it was a very daunting process and, having met the selection criteria, I was forced to fight for my position due to circumstances outside of the sport," Eadie said. "It was a very, very large distraction."

Eadie said his training was cut by two-thirds while fighting the case, from the normal six hours a day to two hours. And he often found himself training at 10pm, having been with lawyers during the day.

"It is the sapping of mental energy that is the most significant thing. As athletes we usually deal with routines and the known, and it is a mental blowout of stress dealing with the unknown," Eadie said.

"You are so mentally drained that it is difficult to invest any energy into training."

The cyclist Jobie Dajka, who was axed from the Athens Olympic team for lying, told the Herald last week his unsuccessful appeal cost him $60,000 and contributed to three years of hell, during which he lapsed into alcoholism and depression.

Mr Coates said he had terminated D'Arcy because it was clear that, having been charged with criminal offences of such a serious nature, it was sufficient to bring him and the sport of swimming into disrepute.

He said the charges were likely to bring the team and the Australian Olympic Committee into disrepute if he continued to be a member of the team.

D'Arcy had signed the Olympic team agreement several months ago and it was also signed by his mother. He had also attended a "shadow" team meeting during which information about the Olympic team agreement was explained.

Mr Coates also considered D'Arcy's conduct in relation to other incidents. These include a fight involving the Mooloolaba ironman Tim Peach 18 months ago, and that he was part of a group that vandalised the home of the Olympian Ray Boyd two years ago.

Mr Coates said he had considered submissions D'Arcy provided on a confidential basis.