The National Team Committee (“NTC” or “Committee”) has recently nominated 89 athletes to the 2015 Pan American Games. With the opportunity to field one of the largest teams at these Games, our focus was to put together the most competitive team possible. The NTC is confident that the athletes included in this list provide Canada with the best chance to perform well against the rest of the Pan-American countries.
Following the publication of the team list, the NTC became aware of a specific irregularity in the selection process with regards to one specific selection on the team. The athlete in question had been selected by the NTC to compete in the 2015 Summer Universiade (“FISU”) in Gwangju, South Korea and had accepted. As part of the selection criteria for the FISU team, with the exception of two events (20km Racewalk and 10,000m), athletes nominated to the team were required to forgo their eligibility for the following three teams: Pan Am Juniors; Pan Am Games; and IAAF World Championships (see section 1.3 – Eligibility). Unable to rely on the exception to section 1.3, the athlete in question was deemed ineligible for selection to the Pan Am Games.
NTC Selection Meeting
At the time of the selection meeting, the NTC was forced to review the 2nd spot for the 5000m event after an eligible athlete, who had qualified for both the 5000m and the 10,000m, opted for the longer of the two. To fill the open spot, the Committee looked at the next eligible athlete on the list. Having had a long and successful NCAA season, the next eligible athlete declined. This led the Committee to look at the next candidate.
At the time of the meeting, the NTC was focused on creating the best team possible within the context of the criteria. In doing so, the Committee missed the restrictions imposed by section 1.3 of the FISU criteria and selected an athlete who had previously accepted a FISU team position.
Review of Decision
Upon further consideration and review, the NTC has come to the conclusion that the decision to name a FISU selected athlete to the Pan Am Games team was incorrect and ran against the selection criteria that had been approved and published by this same Committee. Therefore, in light of the circumstances, the NTC acknowledges an error in judgment in not following the technical rule in section 1.3 of the FISU criteria.
The NTC stands by the belief that adhering to the rules laid out in the selection criteria is fundamental to the organization and wants to reassure everyone concerned that their trust in the responsibility of the individual members of the Committee is not misplaced.
Outcome
To address the misstep of the NTC, the Committee has decided to rescind its decision to name the FISU selected athlete to the Pan Am Games team and reinstate the athlete to the FISU team.
