Annette Cowley loses appeal

Press, 24 July 1986, Page 2

Annette Cowley loses appeal

From

KEVIN TUTTY

in Edinburgh

The fight by Annette Cowley, the South African bom swimmer with a British mother, to compete for England at the Commonwealth Games ended yesterday when she lost her appeal to the High Court in London. Cowley, aged 19, studies in the United States but has been in England since May. She intended leaving for university in Texas soon after the Games ended.

A freestyle sprinter, she was considered a gold medal prospect in the 100 m event and an outside chance for the gold in the 200 m.

She had been training with the England squad and living at the Games village for the last week, while the legal proceedings to determine her eli-

gibility for a place in the England Games team were being decided. Only minutes after the decision was sent from London, Cowley faced a packed press conference opposite the Games village. Supported by members of the England management, Cowley made a brief statement expressing her extreme disappointment at the decision and stating her intention to swim for England and Britain in the future.

Not only has Cowley been excluded from the Commonwealth Games. She is not eligible to swim for Britain at the world championships in Madrid early next month. Cowley maintained a brave face during the three-minute press conference, considering 18 months of training of pre-

paration had come to nothing.

“I would love to swim for England and will continue to hope that one day I will be able to swim for my country,” she said.

Cowley said she did not feel snubbed by the Commonwealth Games Federation which initially barred her from, competing for England. The Amateur Swimming Association of England will query the decision made by swimming’s international governing body (F.1.N.A.), and released on Monday, which said Cowley was ineligible to compete in the world championships for Britain.

Cowley said she was leaving yesterday’s press conference to go back to the village and pack her bags. She was expected to leave the village, and her

team-mates who had given her support and encouragement in the last week, last evening. Zola Budd has given up her fight to run for England in the Games, according to a NZPA-PA report from London. Budd, aged 20, the world cross-country champion, said from her country hideaway, “I shall not be taking legal action against the officers of the Commonwealth Games Federation who decided on Sunday that I was ineligible to compete in the 1980 Commonwealth Games.

“I instructed my legal advisers on Monday to take no further action on my behalf irrespective of the outcome of Annette Cowley’s High Court action. “I now understand the High Court action was unsuccessful as Annette was

unable to establish a domicile in England. My case was not based on domicile, on the grounds that I am normally resident in England. “I believe, as do my legal advisers, that the evidence before the officers of the federation was more than sufficient to show that I live in Guildford and am normally resident in England. My decision to take no further action was not based on legal consideration but on the intense publicity surrounding my participation in the Games, which was affecting my running and training.

"In addition I did not feel it would be in the interest of the sport or the forthcoming Games to generate further uncertainty in an already confused situation, said Budd.