Swimming writer Alistair McMurran is critical of a selection policy that has had a detrimental affect on New Zealand swimming and has denied two Otago elite swimmers the chance to compete in two major international events.
The selection system for international events must change if New Zealand swimming is to step forward in the international arena.
The system must be deemed a failure because only four able-bodied swimmers qualified for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in individual events.
The cut-throat selection policy was introduced by national coaching director Clive Rushton for the 2004 Olympic Games at Athens and has been kept in place over the last decade.
The swimmers have only one chance to do the qualifying times, and this is at the national championships.
Rushton came into the job from the United Kingdom and introduced the English system to New Zealand.
But he forgot one important factor. The United Kingdom, the United States and other large countries have large numbers of competitors and big budgets and can afford to lose swimmers through this system.
New Zealand has only a small group of elite swimmers who are prepared to train four hours a day and 24 to 28 hours a week.
It can be disheartening if they get close to the qualifying standard and get knocked back.
The swimmers can lose confidence and give up and the loss of morale can affect other swimmers in the training squad.
Liz van Welie and Kurt Crosland are two Otago swimmers who have been affected by the selection system.
Van Welie narrowly missed selection for the Athens Olympics in 2004 when she was just 0.09sec short of the A standard qualifying time in the 400m individual medley.
Helen Norfolk (Auckland) beat the A qualifying standard with her time of 4min 44.65sec and van Welie was second in 4min 46.41sec. and well inside the B standard of 4min 49.65sec.
For New Zealand to send two swimmers in the event to Athens both had to break the A standard. Van Welie could have done it but the new selection policy denied her the chance of a another attempt.
Van Welie was selected for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, despite narrowly missing the qualifying standard at the national championships.
She justified the selectors' faith on that occasion by reaching the semifinals of the 200m butterfly.
Van Welie was placed 15th and was the best-performed New Zealand swimmer at Sydney. Van Welie demonstrated that she had the temperament for the big occasion by winning the silver medal in the 400m individual medley at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.
Crosland, a backstroke specialist, missed the cut in the 100m by just 0.25sec at last month's national championships. He clocked 54.88sec. The qualifying mark was 54.63sec. Swimmers have a limited window in which to do the times. Other New Zealand sports have a more reasonable approach.
The cut-off date for competitors in athletics, wrestling, table tennis, badminton, gymsports, netball, weightlifting, rugby sevens and hockey is June 10.
