Sailors seeking to overturn yachting nominations for the Athens Olympics will find out either late today or tomorrow whether their bids have been successful.
The Sports Tribunal began hearing three appeals in Auckland yesterday.
Two are by Laser sailor Andrew Murdoch, and by men's 470 crew Simon Cooke and Alastair Gair, who
failed to win their respective classes at the nationals trials in Auckland in January and missed nomination.
The other appeal is from women's 470 crew Melinda Henshaw and Jan Shearer. They won their event at the trials but have been told they must compete in the world championships in Croatia in May to satisfy the selectors that they meet one of the criteria - the ability to finish in the top 10 in Athens.
In the cases of Murdoch and Cooke and Gair, they argue they have better credentials than the sailors nominated - former Team New Zealand tactician Hamish Pepper, and 470 pair Andrew Brown and Jamie Hunt.
Murdoch was second in the national trials behind Pepper, and Cooke and Gair finished third behind Brown and Hunt, and Stephen and Phillip Keen.
Henshaw and Shearer were not at regattas last year and early this year that Yachting New Zealand's nomination panel took into account when assessing form and prospects.
Panel convenor Terry Nicholas told the tribunal that Olympic hopefuls had to be willing to commit to the process for nomination.
Nicholas noted the case of Pepper, who was involved with Team New Zealand's defence of the America's Cup last year, but had had his Olympic Laser campaign mapped out.
"Generally 90 per cent of people will be organised before the trials, so attendance at these events is quite essential," he said. "The Olympics is a high-quality event and the pressure people are under is enormous."
Nicholas said the nomination panel needed to be able to assess from other events how sailors would handle that pressure.
The tribunal is an independent body appointed by Sport and Recreation New Zealand.
Four members, headed by former Court of Appeal judge Ted Thomas, are hearing the appeals. The other members are Chris Toogood, QC, former New Zealand track cycling coach Ron Cheatley and Carol Quirke, a former president and administrator of Surf Lifesaving New Zealand.
Yesterday the tribunal sat for close on six hours, through questioning of Yachting New Zealand officials and submissions from the appellants, which will continue today.
- STAFF REPORTER, NZPA
Sailors seeking to overturn yachting nominations for the Athens Olympics will find out either late today or tomorrow whether their bids have been successful.
The Sports Tribunal began hearing three appeals in Auckland yesterday.
Two are by Laser sailor Andrew Murdoch, and by men's 470 crew Simon Cooke and Alastair Gair, who
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