Controversial Pre selection

[John Sturgess]

But seriously ...

When Lottery Funding came in it was a hard and fast UKSport/SportEngland Rule that the voluntary parts of sport should not be allowed to interfere in how it was spent by the 'professionals' - and this included all contol of GB/Olympic Teams etc. Most sports had to rewrite their constitutions. Archery resisted for a while, and therefore did not get money - they eventually succumbed. I suspect that even the BCU Board would not get anywhere with this.The Performance Director (in all Lottery-funded sports) rules, and is basically accountable to UK Sport.

The reason given was IMHO a New Labour fixation with acountability for public money - tho' it harks back to a very Old Labour (Sir Stafford Cripps) belief that 'the man in Whitehall knows best'.

Taekwondo found the same on the question of the selection/non-selection of Aaron Cook for the Olympics.

So I am afraid that we may be beating our heads against a brick wall here.

[PeterC]

Thanks John

Accept the unfortunate position but of itself does not make it right. Question then is would this also mean that agreement is in place to accept ruling of the Court of Arbitration in Switzerland?

And for clarity and a lighter moment CP is probably an XY generation and not eligible for C1W who should be XX generations in their respective trees.

[BaldockBabe]

I understand that this has gone through an appeals process and that pre-selection now only applies to the two C2 crews in the C2...

[slink]

Statement from BCU:

In November 2012 the Canoe Slalom International Panel issued a statement regarding pre-selection for the Great Britain Senior Team for the 2013 season.

Following an appeal and due process, the decision to pre-select Olympic medallists will only be applied in the classes in which they medalled.

Pre-selection will therefore only apply to Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott and Richard Hounslow and David Florence in the men’s canoe double (C2).

Paul Owen | Chief Executive
British Canoe Union

[davebrads]

Hooray

[jjayes]

n November 2012 the Canoe Slalom International Panel issued a statement regarding pre-selection for the Great Britain Senior Team for the 2013 season.

Following an appeal and due process, the decision to pre-select Olympic medallists will only be applied in the classes in which they medalled.

No explanations, no apologies and worst of all no resignations or sackings.

The credibility of the international panel is now irretrievable, I doubt whether a single slalom paddler in the UK who is competing for a place on a GB team will any faith in a selection system where the people, who not for the first time, tried to push through such a unjust decision, are still in place. Lets not pretend they changed their minds of their own free will, it was probably only when the perceived threat of going to a expensive sports arbitration/tribunal or facing legal action that they were most likely told to back down by the BCU. It is a shame they did not note the reaction of the membership at the first time of asking and amend their decision, to me this was a indication of their arrogance towards the paddlers.

For the good of the sport these people need to go and be replaced with a democratically elected selection committee who have the interests of the sport at heart.

It is now up to all, including the home nations and the slalom committee to give a vote of no confidence in the international panel. They also need to to regain control of the selection process as the current international panel are potentially undemocratic as they all have vested interests and can not therefore be in a realistic position to reach unbiased decisions.

Thanks on behalf of the sport to everybody who fought for justice this time around, especially those paddlers who were willing to put themselves forward as people who had been wronged by the decision if a legal case was to ensue. You guys have balls, respect to you all.

If these people are left in place we will may well get similar decisions and the sport and athletes will suffer for it. It would be good if they all just put pen to paper and went on their merry way.

It is now up to the paddlers in the sport through a democratic system to put its house in order and look to the future.

[patientmum]

Here, here to JJayes post.

[Nick Penfold]

I think the right decision has been made, but I really don't like the tone of the last two posts and I think JJ's attack on the International Panel is right over the top. Does he remember posting (second posting in this thread)?

If its done within the current selection policy and all the criteria have been adhered too then that is OK. If you disagree, get the policy changed.

It was within the current selection policy.

This has been a very one-sided thread: you might think there was no case for the other side. But there was: if the purpose of pre-selection is to enable star paddlers to design their training to peak at the World Championship and World Cups, rather than having to peak for Selection, then being pre-selected for one class but not for the other is really of no value at all. There was logic in pre-selecting for both. It isn't fair, and it probably wasn't the right call, but it wasn't unreasonable.

If 2013 had been an Olympic year the case would have been different, because pre-selection would have meant pre-selection for the one precious Olympic boat: but next year there are three more or less equal places in the team, and I for one expect that Richard and David will each win one of them.

[jjayes]

Nick,

I do very much remember writing my original post and I now apologize as I was wrong to do so. This debate has shown me how wrong the decision of the international panel was and so much more has come to light within the debate that has taken place.

I am not attacking the international panel, what I am saying is that they are not in a position to make impartial decisions for the good of the sport as a whole and selection of international teams is one of the most important decisions the sport has to make. If we expect athlete to commit major parts of their lives to competition, then they need to know that they are competing in a fair system that protects their interests. If this is not the case even fewer will make that commitment.

As I said before this is not the first time the International panel has made such decisions with selection. The main point that has emerged from all this is that the make up the International panel that is chaired by the world class performance director and consists of another two of his employees and the chair of the slalom committee has very little chance of making impartial decisions.

The problem is that if the sports major decisions are taken by such a group then and they have lost their credibility by showing they are so out of touch with the paddlers then the make up of the panel need to change. If it does not then we are left in a very uncertain situation for the future for any paddler training for selection to GB teams.

I think this has been handled this very badly by the panel and I reiterate they have made no

no explanations, no apologies and worst of all no resignations or sackings since the decision was reversed by the BCU.

It is interesting to note the time line of this and in the heat of all this controversy the Slalom Committee met on the 27th November 2012 and according to the minutes this issue was not even discussed. Why was this?


6th November original statement selected in both c1 and k1 on the basis of medals won in c2.

Review the decision, an International Panel meeting was held on Wednesday 21st November 2012 to consider the decision in consideration of feedback received.

The outcome of this process is that the original decision announced on 6th November was upheld by a majority vote.

27th November 2012 Slalom Committee meeting.

Canoe Slalom International Panel 29th November 2012

In November 2012 the Canoe Slalom International Panel (TWICE ) issued a statement regarding pre-selection to the Great Britain Senior Team for the 2013 season.

11th December after BCU appeal and due process, the decision to pre-select Olympic medallists will only be applied in the classes in which they medalled.