D’Arcy booted from Australian Beijing Olympic Swim Team
April 18, 2008
This morning a statement was released by Australian Olympic Committee President, John Coates advising that Nick D’Arcy has had his membership of the Australian Olympic team terminated.
The statement said that D’Arcy was advised of the decision this morning by a private and confidential letter.
In late March D’Arcy had qualified to represent Australia as part of the swimming team to compete in Beijing in August 2008. In the celebrations that followed the Australian Olympic Swim Team selection meet it is alleged that D’Arcy assaulted Simon Cowley. D’Arcy was later charged with assault.
Coates said D’Arcy was removed from the team as he had brought the team into disrepute. He acknowled D’Arcy is entitled to the presumption of innocence and the charges must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Despite this it was decided not to await the outcome of the court case when making the decision to remove him from the team.
D’Arcy is able to appeal John Coates’s decision to the Australian Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In an article on the Sydney Morning Herald website, D’Arcy’s coach Brian Stehr said the decision was unfair. “I think it amounts to a penalty that basically affects him for the rest of his life, and that’s not fair,” Stehr said.
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[...] month D’Arcy was booted from the Australian Beijing Olympic Swim Team by the President of the AOC, John Coates for bringing the sport into [...]