Olympic Trials

[raikkonen_rulez 0]

Urm....for aussies....

How you guys feel bout the Thorpedo getting disqualified thing??

There's something I don't understand , why can't they send all three to Athens and shut the nation up???

I'd love to see Ian compete but if that involves letting Craig down...no way

Stupid false start for Ian....why did he assume too much anyway

not like he'd lose out if he jumped into the water a split second later

[nojvnof1 0]

The rules are there for everyone, not everyone except Thorpe. I feel sorry for the guy and he'd kick serious a## in Athens, but he stuffed up, that's all there is to it. If some kid fell in, I don't think there's be such a fuss. They can't send all 3 because I think the rules state only the first two are selected.

shaun

[juany 0]

it is a shame and I can see both sides.

The rules are for everyone and if they change it for Ian they have to change it for everyone.

But I think it is a bit stupid that 1 false start can stop a swimmer form getting to the olympics and when he is the best in the world and the current champ it is a shame he cant defend his title.

[Sato 0]

i think that if they got a medal last time they should be automatically selected for the final of there event. but there not he stuuffed it and he only has himself to blame..unlucky but he'll live.

[Sato 0]

wow i just made my 500th post...congrats to me....

[raikkonen_rulez 0]

The rules are there for everyone, not everyone except Thorpe. I feel sorry for the guy and he'd kick serious a## in Athens, but he stuffed up, that's all there is to it. If some kid fell in, I don't think there's be such a fuss. They can't send all 3 because I think the rules state only the first two are selected.

shaun

i noe there's a rule bout it

but the australian rules are so pathetic they're ruining their own hope to win the olympics

they should change it....but not for the sake of thorpe...or maybe they will

seriously i don't what's wrong wif aussies

to make the olympics worse there's the terrorism and the stadium is not ready...is it only me that thinks this year's olympics will be a disaster??

[hollywood2003 0]

rules are so different in different sports....motor racing ie. da matta can stuff up the start at Hungary 2 times and not get penalised, an athlete in a track race can false start once without penalty, yet a swimmer is out on the first go...weird eh??

[nojvnof1 0]

Firstly, the rules are made by the governing body of swimming and apply to every country. The rule sucks, but you've gotta live with the rules like it or not. Feel sorry for Stevens though. Everyone is on his back, but he didn't fall in, he held his nerve, simple as that. Besides, why should one sacrifice his dream just so someone else, who stuffed up, no matter how good he is, can get his. The rule is sh!t, but thats life.

shaun

[nichosnz 0]

2 points...

1. The Kiwi swimmers set faster qualifing times than the Aussies...

but...

I am not getting my hopes up, it won't happen when it counts! which leads me to my next point

2. IOC do not allow Australia to send 3 swimmers for each event, because they do not want all the swimmimg medals to go to Australia. It least this way Aussie get (almost) 2 thirds and the US get the rest.

[juany 0]

2 points...

1. The Kiwi swimmers set faster qualifing times than the Aussies...

Yeah, but it was a 'down hill' pool!

(Just keeping the Kiwi/Aussie competitiveness going!) 8)

[raikkonen_rulez 0]

2 points...

1. The Kiwi swimmers set faster qualifing times than the Aussies...

but...

I am not getting my hopes up, it won't happen when it counts!  which leads me to my next point

2.  IOC do not allow Australia to send 3 swimmers for each event, because they do not want all the swimmimg medals to go to Australia.  It least this way Aussie get (almost) 2 thirds and the US get the rest.

i hardly see any good kiwi swimmers.....but i guess anything is better than US clean sweeping the medals

[raikkonen_rulez 0]

A leading Sydney lawyer believes Ian Thorpe's overbalancing on the blocks in the 400m freestyle at the Olympic swimming trials was not a false start and he shouldn't have been disqualified.

Chris Branson, QC, said the laws of international swimming needed to be substantially redrafted following Thorpe's controversial disqualification.

Thorpe was pulled from the race after falling into the water before the starter's signal in his opening swim of the eight-day Olympic trials.

His disqualification means the Olympic champion and world recordholder will not contest his best event at the Athens Olympics.

Branson said the rules of world swimming body FINA state a freestyle race should commence with a dive but Thorpe had not dived into the water - he fell.

"Dive should be interpreted to mean the deliberate act by means of propelling the body in a forward and downward direction from the starting platform to the water," he told AAP.

"The rule omits to deal with a number of situations where a swimmer enters the water other than by diving including overbalancing and falling or jumping in the water, fainting and falling in the water, slipping and falling in the water."

Branson said while Fina rule 4.3 provided for the disqualification of any swimmer who started before the starting signal, it did not deal with situations where the swimmer entered the water other than by diving.

He said in such situations, the starter ought to stand the swimmers down from the blocks and restart the race.

"With respect to the start of the 400m in which Ian Thorpe was competing, in my opinion Thorpe did not start or attempt to start the race by means of a dive," Branson said.

"It was not a false start, he didn't dive.

"The starter ought to have stood all the swimmers down from the starting platforms and recommenced the starting sequence.

"In my opinion, the starter made a fundamental error."

The legal opinion has probably come too late for Thorpe, who qualified this week to contest the 100 and 200m freestyle in Athens as well as the three men's relays.

His manager Dave Flaskas described Branson's comments as "interesting" and said the rule obviously needed clarification.

Flaskas said he had received a number of calls from lawyers and swimming officials since the incident suggesting Thorpe was hardly done by.

But when asked about whether Thorpe would pursue legal action, he said such action had never been contemplated or discussed.

In Thorpe's absence, Grant Hackett and Craig Stevens finished first and second in the 400m freestyle final last weekend and Australia can only field two swimmers per individual event in Athens.

"There's no way we would want to disadvantage Stevo even if we had a case.

"He has been under so much pressure this week and he deserves to finally celebrate his Olympic selection.

"There's nothing we can do."