Suspended swimmers appeal suspension

Press, 20 April 1981, Page 13

Suspended swimmers appeal suspension

Two Wellington swimmers, Peter Lucas and Brent O’Neill, facing a three month suspension from the Wellington centre, have been told that any appeal against the suspension must first be heard by the Wellington centre. •

. The New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association received a letter at its meeting on Monday evening from a solicitor representing the swimmerSj Seeking an appeal against the'suspension which will prevent the pair joining national training camps in the May school vacation. The suspension is to be effective from May 1. Under the N.Z.A.S.A. rules the first appeal against any suspension must be made to the centre imposing the penalty. If that is unsuccessful the appeal may then be made, to the,N.Z.A.S.A. , . , > Several councillors /were disappointed l that swimming was not included in an ?85,000 handout from the Olympic Solidarity fund made earlier this year. The N.Z.A.S.A. made applications for grants for the four sports under its control — swimming, diving, Waterpolo and synchronised swimming. Two applications were withdrawn after advice to do so from a member of the committee processing • the grants, but still nothing was received for the ether two .sports. / /, The money was shared between seven sports. . The association will apply

for funds for the four sports from the 1983 grants which are made for coaching courses..- . Advice was received by the association that the world championsbips have been transferred from theUnited States to Ecuador in South America. The} new

dates are from July 30 to August 9, 1982. ’ - ; Originally- the' champion- ; ships were to be held ;at Concorde in California, but a F.I.N.A. ruling that pools must be a constant 7ft depth precluded the Concorde pool being used.

; Santa Clara, also in Calii fornia, was considered as an ; alternative venue, but its pool was unsuitable too. ’ F.I.N.A. then called for new s -applications for the chami pionships. Guayaquil, a ;■ coastal city in Ecuador, and i Montreal, were the only ap- ’ plicants.

In keeping with the F.I.N.A. policy of taking the aquatic sports to smaller nations, Guayaquil was chosen. It has’three pools of regulation size, and a fourth will be built before the Games start