There has been plenty of healthy debate recently around the Australian team selection process on our site.
Several of our readers have been asking about the selection process and dates for the appeals so we have been in touch with Equestrian Australia (EA) to find out a little more. We can’t advise who the appeal/s is/are by (we honestly don’t know and haven’t asked) but EA have confirmed the following;
- The appeal will be held by independent tribunal headed up by an AOC appointed QC
- Once the appeal is held we will know an outcome – however the team is then still to be officially selected by the AOC. Depending on outcomes of the appeals, decisions may not be released immediately
- It will be the AOC who officially announces the team
- They cannot give firm dates for the appeal at this stage as it is subject to when the appeal will be heard, if athletes take any further action and other considerations
Those of you who are interested in the selection process (and we get the feeling that there are quite a few out there from comments made on our web site, Facebook and Twitter pages), there is a document which outlines the 2012 Australian Team Nomination Criteria on the EA site which may answer some of your questions. If you feel the urge to read the nitty gritty in this document, click on the link at the bottom of this article.
The document, put in place by the AOC and EA, provides nominations guidelines and details for all three disciplines (Eventing is in Part B) and covers some key dates such as the date of July 6th for the proposed departure of the Australian based eventing horses for the UK. EA says it is hoping to meet this date and is continuing preparations to try and ensure that any Australian horses in contention are ready to leave as required.
Although some dates late this week have been touted as possible for the appeal/s to be heard, as EA point out above, they really are not sure at this point when the actual appeal may be as it is outside of their control.
Another key date is July 9th which, according to the FEI website, is the deadline for the London 2012 Organising Committee to receive entry forms. So, one way or another, we will certainly know by then! If in the meantime you want to read some of the eventing community’s thoughts on the subject, you can read or contribute your comment to the discussion HERE.
Please note that we moderate all comments before publishing so your comment may take a few hours to appear. We believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion unless it is defamatory or just plain hurtful. We have been really pleased that we haven’t received any comments we felt should not be published, showing that people just really care about this sport and wish to contribute. It is important to remember that everyone involved in the selection process is human and trying to do their best; for the athletes this possibly represents the pinnacle of their career and something they have worked long and hard for, so please bear this mind.
Having said that, we know that eventing fans are passionate about their sport (which is a good thing) so let us know what you think!
2012 Australian Team Nomination Criteria (May 2012)
