NO EXCUSE IS BETTER THAN A BAD ONE

Thanks to Zoe George at Stuff, we are being kept up to date with the chaos at Cycling New Zealand (CNZ). Like the good journalist she is, George reports the facts without emotive spin. It is for others like Swimwatch to provide an opinion bias.

Facts and opinion are important. Facts because they tell us what happened. Despite Trump’s efforts there are no “alternative facts”. Good journalists know that distinction and observe it well. But opinion matters as well. Facts do not speak for themselves. Assuming people hold accurate factual beliefs, they must still interpret them, that is, determine the significance of these facts to arrive at moral judgments. Is a 0.7% decrease in funding cosmetic or a significant change of policy. Only when people interpret facts can those facts influence their opinions.

And so here is a list of facts George has provided us today. Under each fact is the Swimwatch spin.

Fact One – Cycling is expected to receive $5.169m per year a cut of $35,000 from the 2021 funding.

That fact is entirely cosmetic. The reduction is close to the amount CNZ put in a paper bag to pay Olivia Podmore for her silence. That is an expense CNZ has saved itself this year. The cut of 0.6% means nothing.

Fact Two – Cycling New Zealand lost its principal sponsor APL 

Name me a self-respecting company that would not have pulled its sponsorship. In the last twelve months CNZ has lied to New Zealand, has made hush-money payments, has allowed a culture of musical beds, has cheated at the Olympic Games, has had a staff turnover enough to make your head spin and has been party to the death of one of its best athletes. That is not a sport. That is a badly run New Orleans’s bordello from the 1860s. Only Raelene Castle would see that as a sound investment for another $5million. It is ironic that the same person who sacked Israel Folau for speaking his mind on homosexuals, rewards a New Zealand sporting cesspit with $5million.

Fact Three – Raelene Castle said the funding for Cycling NZ is conditional on the outcomes of the review.

No, it is not. Castle doesn’t want to answer difficult questions so kicks them down the road until after the investigation. Let us wait and see. Remember what Castle said and let’s see what she does.

Fact Four – Castle indicated funding could be shifted around based on the outcomes of the review.

What does “shifted around” mean. There are two principal categories within cycling – community and high performance. Does it mean Castle will demand more is spent on community cycling? Is she going to build the Auckland Harbour Bridge cycling clip-on? Within high performance there are four sub-categories – track, road, BMX and mountain bike. Track gets the lion’s share of the money just now. Perhaps BMX is in for a boost.

But the real issue in “Fact Four” is micro-management. Sport New Zealand’s job is to distribute the government’s money. It is NOT to micro-manage how it is spent. Castle is sticking her nose into stuff way beyond her area of expertise. Next thing we know the Cambridge cycling coaches will be waiting for Castle’s email telling them their weekly track schedules. Believe me, the same thing happened in swimming. Eventually the sport dies from bureaucratic paralysis.  

Fact Five – “There will be a well-being discussion inside that sport, as there is inside all our major sports

Anyone who believes that Castle make-believe, I have a bridge to sell them in Arizona. Does anyone believe CNZ is sitting around immersed in the finer points of Olivia Podmore’s death. Press conference after press conference comes and goes without a mention of Olivia’s name. Castle’s contribution to athlete well-being is to put Olivia’s death as far into Sport New Zealand’s past as possible. Castle is desperate to avoid the Podmore spotlight being trained on her.

Does anyone believe Swimming New Zealand have spent any Board time analysing my serious health problems? And yet they have a hospital specialist’s letter that says Swimming New Zealand could well be responsible.

Is anyone at Canoe Racing New Zealand concerned about Alan Thompson’s welfare? Of course not. How to get him out of the sport is their only concern.

Castle’s commentary should be recognised for what it is – old fashioned BS.

Fact Six – “Even when sports are in difficult times that we ensure the sport, and ultimately the athletes, get the support that they need,” she said.

The two-faced hypocrisy of that is beyond belief. Is Alan Thompson getting the support he needs? Did I get the support I needed? What support did Castle give Olivia Podmore? Did Israel Folau get Castle’s support? No of course not. Her organisations hunt with the hounds and run with the hares. You certainly would not want Castle lost with you in the bush on a dark, wet night. Remember it was her organisation that ultimately paid an athlete to lie to New Zealand. The ring of helping in difficult times sounds very hollow indeed.

Fact Seven – The people we are trying to protect, are protected and in an environment that’s really supportive. We need to make sure they can continue to train.”

If there is any truth in that outrageous claim, then Raelene Castle, do something about the public execution of one of New Zealand’s finest athletes. Alan Thompson does not deserve the disgusting accusations being made against him. Castle, you were happy to payoff Olivia with $20,000. You have rewarded cycling’s cesspit with an additional $5million. You voided Folau’s contract with a multi-million deal – surely Alan Thompson deserves justice.

We are about to see where Castle’s priorities really lie.    

Fact Eight – Six months from the Commonwealth Games, Castle said cycling will send one of its largest teams ever. It was really critical we give them the support.

Castle has been sipping the Sport New Zealand cool aid. The sport is in trouble, so send a huge team to the next Games and plead the case for more money to pay for its preparation. Never mind about have you resolved why Olivia Podmore died? Never mind why did you pay her a paper bag full of dollar bills hush money? Never mind why did you lie to the last cycling inquiry? Never mind why did you cheat at the last Olympic Games?

Many might accuse Swimwatch of spin – an accusation we accept. However, the spin from Castle and Sport New Zealand is way beyond anything we could dream up.

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