ID :
12246
Fri, 07/11/2008 - 19:07
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/12246
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Jongewaard's Olympic appeal successful
(AAP) Mountain biker Chris Jongewaard remains a long way from Olympic selection, despite a big win at Cycling Australia's appeals tribunal.
The three-person panel upheld Jongewaard's case, after his controversial omission from the list of 28 nominated riders for the Beijing Games.
Cycling Australia's (CA) High Performance Management Committee (HPMC), the body which originally knocked Jongewaard back, will now reconsider the matter.
Even if the HPMC decides to endorse his selection, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) selection committee could then rule against him.
Should the HPMC or the AOC rule against Jongewaard, his only fallback will be appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"The Cycling Australia Appeals Tribunal today upheld the appeal of Chris Jongewaard against his non-nomination to the Australian Olympic Committee for Australian Team for the Olympic Games in Beijing," CA announced in a media statement.
"The tribunal will therefore, in accordance with the AOC Team Selection By Law, refer the nomination decision back to Cycling Australia for review.
"The Tribunal has indicated written reasons will be provided as soon as possible.
When the written reasons are available the Cycling Australian High Performance Committee will meet to consider the Tribunal's findings."During a two-and-a-half hour hearing on Thursday in Melbourne, Jongewaard pleaded his case to appeals tribunal members Tim Frampton, Anna Wilson and Benjamin Fitzmaurice.
Wilson rode at the Sydney Olympics and is a two-time World Cup road champion, while Fitzmaurice is a director of the Australian Road Cycling project, which aims to build a team for the Tour de France.
Jongewaard set out in the closed hearing why he should have Australia's berth in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the Games.
Like swimmer Nick D'Arcy, he has a pending court case and this cost him his Olympic spot.
Jongewaard faces criminal charges over a traffic incident near Adelaide early last year that left fellow cyclist Matthew Rex with serious injuries.
Jongewaard is clearly Australia's best performer in the cross-country Olympic event and CA's selectors wanted him.
But the HPMC decided the AOC would not approve Jongewaard's selection and the spot went to Daniel McConnell.
If the HPMC now approves Jongewaard's nomination, the next step will be for the AOC selection committee to rule on the matter.
The AOC body would decide whether Jongewaard has gone against the ethical behaviour by-law of the Olympic team agreement.
AOC president John Coates, vice-president Peter Montgomery and secretary general Craig Phillips make up the body's selection committee.
The three-person panel upheld Jongewaard's case, after his controversial omission from the list of 28 nominated riders for the Beijing Games.
Cycling Australia's (CA) High Performance Management Committee (HPMC), the body which originally knocked Jongewaard back, will now reconsider the matter.
Even if the HPMC decides to endorse his selection, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) selection committee could then rule against him.
Should the HPMC or the AOC rule against Jongewaard, his only fallback will be appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"The Cycling Australia Appeals Tribunal today upheld the appeal of Chris Jongewaard against his non-nomination to the Australian Olympic Committee for Australian Team for the Olympic Games in Beijing," CA announced in a media statement.
"The tribunal will therefore, in accordance with the AOC Team Selection By Law, refer the nomination decision back to Cycling Australia for review.
"The Tribunal has indicated written reasons will be provided as soon as possible.
When the written reasons are available the Cycling Australian High Performance Committee will meet to consider the Tribunal's findings."During a two-and-a-half hour hearing on Thursday in Melbourne, Jongewaard pleaded his case to appeals tribunal members Tim Frampton, Anna Wilson and Benjamin Fitzmaurice.
Wilson rode at the Sydney Olympics and is a two-time World Cup road champion, while Fitzmaurice is a director of the Australian Road Cycling project, which aims to build a team for the Tour de France.
Jongewaard set out in the closed hearing why he should have Australia's berth in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the Games.
Like swimmer Nick D'Arcy, he has a pending court case and this cost him his Olympic spot.
Jongewaard faces criminal charges over a traffic incident near Adelaide early last year that left fellow cyclist Matthew Rex with serious injuries.
Jongewaard is clearly Australia's best performer in the cross-country Olympic event and CA's selectors wanted him.
But the HPMC decided the AOC would not approve Jongewaard's selection and the spot went to Daniel McConnell.
If the HPMC now approves Jongewaard's nomination, the next step will be for the AOC selection committee to rule on the matter.
The AOC body would decide whether Jongewaard has gone against the ethical behaviour by-law of the Olympic team agreement.
AOC president John Coates, vice-president Peter Montgomery and secretary general Craig Phillips make up the body's selection committee.
