Australian Swimming voted against this criteria being used in Olympic selection when it was introduced by the World Olympic organisation. It restricts choice of swimmers too much...remember the US does not choose its team till July..favours northern hemisphere nations. In Thorpes case , Hackett and Stevens can't be eliminated from the team, and Thorpe can get back into the 400 by using the World rankings provision or team changes at the Olympics. In the 100 and 200 races, the first 4 swimmers get in the team, so Thorpe will get in the team ok..provided no more 'falls'. So they have achieved squeezing another swimmer into the swim team 'pool', bending the rules that they didn't like anyway. This will enable them to trim bown the final team by eliminating any weak swimmers overall from the team and leaving in strong swimmers. The selection criteria is as follows...note the World Rankings provision
2004 OLYMPIC GAMES AUSTRALIAN ATHLETE NOMINATION CRITERIA
Nominations for the 2004 Olympic Games team will be based on performances in the 2004 Australian Swimming Championships and Olympic Games Trials in those events contested at the 2004 Olympic Games. After nomination by Australian Swimming, the selection of athletes to the Olympic Team must be ratified by the Australian Olympic Committee.
Dates and Location The 2004 Australian Open Championships and Olympic Games Trials will be conducted from 27 March-April 3 in Sydney, Australia.
Eligibility To be eligible for nomination, a swimmer must be an Australian citizen who is eligible to represent Australia in the 2004 Olympic Games, and is a registered member of Australian Swimming Inc. in good standing.
Performance Criteria
Athletes will be prioritised for nomination using the following priorities:
Priority 1: First, second, third and fourth place finishers in finals of the men’s and women’s 100 metre freestyle and 200 metre freestyle. First place finisher in all other individual events provided the time swum meets or betters the FINA "A" Qualifying Time Standard for that individual event (refer Annexure A) for the 2004 Olympic Games.
Priority 2: Second place finisher in the finals of all individual Olympic Events, other than the men’s and women’s 100 metre freestyle and 200 metre freestyle, provided the time swum meets or betters the FINA "A" Qualifying Time Standard (refer Annexure A) for the 2004 Olympic Games.
Priority 3: First placed finisher in the final of all individual Olympic Events, who is available to contest that individual event at the 2004 Olympic Games, where no swimmer qualifies under Priority 1 provided the time swum meets or betters the ASI "B" Qualifying Time Standard (refer Annexure A).
Priority 4: Fifth placed finisher in the Men’s and Women’s 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle finals provided they meet the ASI Relay Qualifying Time Standard (refer Annexure A).
Priority 5: Second placed finisher in the final of the Men’s and Women’s 100m Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly, provided the time swum meets or betters the ASI "B" Qualifying Time Standard (refer Annexure A).
Priority 6: Sixth placed finisher in the Men’s and Women’s 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle finals provided they meet the ASI Relay Qualifying Time Standard (refer Annexure A).
Priority 7: Second placed finisher in the final of the Men’s and Women’s 100m Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly and the fifth and sixth placed finisher in the Men’s and Women’s 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle finals provided they have achieved the FINA B final standard for the relevant stroke and distance.
NOTE: 1. In the event that under this nomination procedure more swimmers qualify than allowed for by budget constraints or the team exceeds the AOC approved team size than the team will be reduced to the required number by using the following process: 1.1. Those athletes with the highest priority for selection (ie Priority 1 has preference over Priority 2 etc). 1.2. If swimmers have to be ranked within a priority to reduce the numbers this will be done using World two per nation rankings with any Australian eliminated from the list. 1.3. The following documents will be used to finalise the team and break ties: 1.3.1. The latest available full year ISSA World rankings. 1.3.2. The most recent International Pointscore published by FINA. 2. In the case of a tie for a possible position on the team in a given event, a swim off will be conducted in that event as soon as possible but at a time determined by the Meet Director.
Additional Requirements for Selection All swimmers will be required to: 1. Sign the AOC Consent to Consideration for Nomination Form; 2. Have signed the athlete nomination form issued by the AOC from time to time; 3. Sign and comply with the ASI Team Agreement and conform to ASI policy regarding team preparation; 4. Make themselves available for all pre-departure camps and competitions designated by the ASI High Performance Director.
Relay Nomination Policy All swimmers who are named on the Olympic Games Team are eligible for the relays. The ASI National Head Men’s and Women’s Coaches will consider all available information to nominate the fastest four swimmers for each relay at the time of the Olympic Games. All swimmers, who are selected on the Olympic Team, are eligible for the relays provided they have achieved the FINA “B” standard for the relevant stroke and distance.
NOTE: Swimmers selected only for relay events are eligible for entry into individual events that are not already covered by athletes qualifying under the published criteria. Entry into these events is at the discretion of the ASI National Head Coaches.
Replacement Policy In the event a selected athlete has to be withdrawn from the team (through injury, illness or disciplinary reasons) their spot may be filled at the discretion of the High Performance Director after consultation with the National Head Coaches. If the position is to be filled the ASI selectors will recommend to the ASI Board, from performances at the selection meet, the next available qualified swimmer in the event from which the athlete has withdrawn . If there is no swimmer qualified in that event the next highest ranked athlete in any event (world rankings, 2 per nation) where there is a vacancy will be selected provided that athlete meets the qualifying standards.
This criteria may be amended by the Board of ASI at its discretion. Amended criteria will be forwarded to State Associations and ASCTA for distribution to its members and mailed to all members of the Dolphins squad. d rankings provision.
