Event Tampering

 320 GRIT

Swimming New Zealand has announced the event list for the swimmers attending the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. As expected all the swimmers selected for relays have been entered in a host of individual events.

Swimming New Zealand’s habit of doing that is really annoying. They write eleven pages of qualifying criteria and then, when only two swimmers meet the conditions, select about a dozen relay swimmers and enter them in 28 individual events anyway. I find that stunningly dishonest. Of course Swimming New Zealand can quote numerous “get-out-of-jail” paragraphs from their eleven pages to excuse the behaviour.

If anything, the excuses make the selections worse. They encourage behaviour that looks at rules as conditions to be got around. Swimming New Zealand is supposed to be leading an organization that promotes good behaviour and good sportsmanship where the rules matter. Fundamentally that is a primary purpose of sport in society. These selections have sabotaged that purpose. A dozen team members have been taught that failing doesn’t matter. Worse than that, 5000 other competitors have learned that coming up short is not a difficulty. Just find a way around the problem.

That culture, that environment, is where players using yellow sandpaper begins. It is ironic that Australian Cricket is handing out sanctions to the three players involved in test match ball tampering. It is the culture of the sport led by Australian Cricket that allowed the behaviour to thrive. Swimming New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games selection is guilty of the same negligence; not by omission but by example.

With the exception of Main and Ashby the New Zealand swimmers did not qualify for Commonwealth Games’ individual events. Each air ticket effectively came with a page of yellow sandpaper.

So, what are the individual events entered by New Zealand swimmers? The tables below show the events to be swum each day at the Games and the New Zealanders entered. There are a couple of things I find interesting.

I have heard there has been discussion in Swimming New Zealand about whether swimmers selected for relays should swim in an individual event in the same session. Some swimmers wanted to enter their favourite individual event irrespective of the relays. Some administrators believed that the relays should have priority. I tend to support the administrator’s opinion. A swimmer selected for a relay should have that as their priority. However it seems that the swimmer’s opinion has prevailed. There are seven occasions where swimmers will swim individual events in the same session as their relay event. It is difficult to imagine that relay duties will have priority. And they should. After all, they were selected to swim in the relay; not as an excuse to swim something else. Although this is Swimming New Zealand – you never can tell. Obviously Main and Ashby are excluded because they swam individual qualifying times.

  Events in Same Session
Name Relay Individual Event
Helena Gasson 4 x 100m Free Relay 100m Butterfly
Georgia Marris 4 x 100m Free Relay 100m Butterfly
Carina Doyle 4 x 100m Free Relay 200m Freestyle
Helena Gasson 4 x 100m Free Relay Final 100m Butterfly Semi-Final
Carina Doyle 4 x 100m Free Relay Final 200m Freestyle Final
Matthew Stanley 4 x 100m Free Relay 200m Freestyle
Matthew Stanley 4 x 100m Free Relay Final 200m Freestyle Final

Here then is the daily schedule of events together with the New Zealand swimmers entered.

Thursday 5 April AM

Men Women Para
100m Backstroke 50m Breaststroke S7 50m Butterfly
Corey Main Bronagh Ryan
200m Breaststroke 100m Butterfly
50m Butterfly Helena Gasson
Sam Perry Georgia Marris
Daniel Hunter 200m Freestyle
400m Freestyle Carina Doyle
  400m Individual Medley
4 x 100m Free Relay
Helena Gasson
Laticia Transom
Georgia Marris
Carina Doyle

Thursday 5 April PM

Men Women Para
Semi Final Semi Final S7 50m Butterfly
100m Backstroke 50m Breaststroke S14 200m Freestyle
50m Butterfly 100m Butterfly
Final Final
400m Freestyle 200m Freestyle
200m Breaststroke 400m Individual Medley
4 x 100m Free Relay

 

Friday 6 April AM

Men Women Para
100m Breaststroke 100m Backstroke
200m Freestyle Bobbi Gichard
Matthew Stanley 50m Freestyle
400m Individual Medley Laticia Transom
Lewis Clareburt
Bradlee Ashby
4 x 100m Free Relay
Sam Perry
Matthew Stanley
Daniel Hunter
Corey Main

Friday 6 April PM

Men Women Para
Semi Final Semi Final S9 100m Freestyle
100m Breaststroke 100m Backstroke S9 100m Backstroke
50m Freestyle
Final Final
100m Backstroke 50m Breaststroke
50m Butterfly 100m Butterfly
200m Freestyle
400m Individual Medley
4x100m Free Relay

 

Saturday 7 April AM

Men Women Para
50m Backstroke 200m Breaststroke SB8 100m Breaststroke
200m Butterfly 50m Butterfly SM10 200m Individual Med.
Lewis Clareburt Helena Gasson
Bradlee Ashby 4x200m Free Relay
100m Freestyle
Sam Perry
Matthew Stanley
Daniel Hunter

Saturday 7 April PM

Men Women Para
Semi Final Semi Final SB8 100m Breaststroke
50m Backstroke 50m Butterfly SM10 200m Individual Med.
100m Freestyle
Final Final
100m Breaststroke 100m Backstroke
200m Butterfly 200m Breaststroke
50m Freestyle
4×200 Free Relay

 

Sunday 8 April AM

Men Women Para
50m Breaststroke 200m Backstroke SM8 200m Individual Med.
100m Butterfly Bobbi Gichard S9 100m Freestyle
4×200 Free Relay 100m Breaststroke
Bronagh Ryan
100m Freestyle
Laticia Transom
Georgia Marris
Carina Doyle
800m Freestyle
200m Individual Medley

Sunday 8 April PM

Men Women Para
Semi Final Semi Final SM8 200m Individual Med.
50m Breaststroke 100m Breaststroke S9 100m Freestyle
100m Butterfly 100m Freestyle
Final Final
50m Backstroke 200m Backstroke
100m Freestyle 50m Butterfly
4x200m Free Relay 200m Individual Medley

 

Monday 9 April AM

Men Women Para
200m Backstroke 50m Backstroke S7 50m Freestyle
Lewis Clareburt Bobbi Gichard S9 100m Breaststroke
Bradlee Ashby 200m Butterfly
Corey Main Helena Gasson
50m Freestyle
Sam Perry
Daniel Hunter
1500m Freestyle

Monday 9 April PM

Men Women Para
Semi Final Semi Final S7 50m Freestyle
50m Freestyle 50m Backstroke S9 100m Breaststroke
Final Final
200m Backstroke 100m Breaststroke
50m Breaststroke 200m Butterfly
100m Butterfly 100m Freestyle
800m Freestyle

 

Tuesday 10 April AM

Men Women Para
200m Individual Medley 400m Freestyle S9 100m Backstroke
Lewis Clareburt Georgia Marris
Bradlee Ashby Carina Doyle
4x100m Medley Relay 4x100m Medley Relay
  Bobbi Gichard
Helena Gasson
Bronagh Ryan
Laticia Transom

Tuesday 10 April PM

Men Women Para
Final Final S9 100m Backstroke
50m Freestyle 50m Backstroke S8 50m Freestyle
1500m Freestyle 400m Freestyle
200m Individual Medley 4x100m Medley Relay
4x100m Medley Relay

And here is a table showing each swimmer’s events.

Carina Doyle, 100m/200m/400m freestyle, and 4x100m freestyle relay
Georgia Marris 100m/400m freestyle , 100m butterfly 4x100m freestyle relay
Laticia Transom 50m/100m freestyle, 4x100m medley and freestyle relays
Bronagh Ryan 50m/100m breaststroke, 4x100m medley relay
Helena Gasson 50m/100m/200m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle and medley relays
Bobbi Gichard 50m/100m/200m backstroke, 4x100m medley relay
Corey Main 100m/200m backstroke, 4×100 freestyle relay
Daniel Hunter 50m/100m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay
Matthew Stanley 100m/200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay
Sam Perry 50m/100m freestyle 50m butterfly, 4x10m freestyle relay
Bradlee Ashby 200m backstroke, 200m butterfly, 200m/400m IM
Lewis Clareburt 200m backstroke, 200m butterfly, 200m/400m IM

 

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