Yachting: Protests muddy Games selections

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The muddied waters of New Zealand's Olympic yachting selections have become even murkier.

What should have been a clear-cut process has been thrown into turmoil, with disgruntled sailors taking the national body to task and appealing against nominations in two classes.

A third crew, 470 sailors Melinda Henshaw and Jan Shearer - surprise trials winners - are protesting against the terms of their selection.

Following last month's Olympic trials at Torbay, Yachting New Zealand's selectors, top boardsailing coach Grant Beck, former Olympian Glen Sowry, and YNZ's high-performance chairman and former Olympic 470 sailor Terry Nicholas, made their nominations to the National Olympic Committee.

They nominated Sarah Macky (Europe), Thomas Ashley (Mistral), Hamish Pepper (Laser) and the 470 crews of Henshaw and Shearer and Andrew Brown and Jamie Hunt.

There was a proviso with Henshaw and Shearer that they must compete at the May 5-15 world championships in Zadar, Croatia, to prove their capability of a top-10 finish at the Olympics.

Now Yachting NZ have been stung with appeals from Laser sailor Andrew Murdoch (second behind Pepper in the trials), and Simon Cooke and Alistair Gair (third behind Brown/Hunt and Stephen and Phillip Keen).

Murdoch and Cooke/Gair are questioning the ability of Pepper and Brown/Hunt to meet the "top 10 at the Olympics" proviso.

Henshaw/Shearer are appealing against the directive that they must compete in Croatia, where they will be up against New Zealanders Shelley Hesson and Linda Dickson.

"That will not be a retrial between the two crews," YNZ chief executive Simon Wickham said yesterday.

"All Henshaw and Shearer have to do is convince the selectors they are capable of meeting the criteria. Hesson and Dickson could win the worlds, but that would not get them the nod ahead of Henshaw and Shearer if they turned in a satisfactory effort.

"Only if there was a huge gap between the two crews would Hesson and Dickson come into consideration."

But if Henshaw/Shearer did not go to the world championships, "they can't be selected [for the Olympics]".

Like Henshaw and Shearer, Murdoch and Cooke and Gair must first discuss the matter with the YNZ selection panel.

If that brings no resolution, they can appeal to the Sports Dispute Tribunal set up by Sport and Recreation New Zealand.

Logic suggests they are unlikely to be successful in seeking outside intervention.

Yachting trials have long been a case of "first past the post wins". To go outside that parameter would set a dangerous precedent and only confuse the situation.

All sailors went into the trials fully aware of the situation and knowing that winning was the first and most important step to Olympic selection.

In the case of Pepper and Brown/Hunt, and Ashley and Macky, the selectors felt they had done enough to warrant their nominations.

Mistral boardsailor Barbara Kendall is already guaranteed an Olympic spot, qualifying with her second placing at last year's world championships.

Other crews will chase Olympic selection at regattas in Europe over the next few months.

Dean Barker, in Brazil for the Finn Gold Cup (which doubles as the world championships), will line up against rivals Peter Fox and 2000 Sydney Olympian Clifton Webb in either Barcelona (March 26-30) or, more likely, the Princess Sophia regatta in Palma, Mallorca, (April 3-9) and the European championships in La Rochelle (May 6-15).

The two regattas will be treated as a series, with the best-placed sailor over 22 races getting the Games nod.

Rohan Lord and Craig Monk have their chance at the Star world championships in Gaeta, Italy, from April 30 to May 8.

Sharon Ferris and her crew will chase their place in Athens at the Yngling world championships in Santander, Spain, from May 1-9, with three Olympic spots available.

Other crews will seek selection in the 49er class (at their world championships in Athens from April 12-20) and the Tornado world championships in Palma (April 11-18), where Aaron McIntosh and Mark Kennedy will chase one of three remaining Olympic spots.

Nine NZ yachts, including the Henshaw/Shearer 470, left Auckland yesterday in a container for Europe.