Get your act together

by Bob Fisher on 18 Aug 2008 Twenty-four hours after the protest of the Race Committee was lodged against the Danish 49er crew for borrowing the Croatian boat to sail in the medal race after their mast had broken, there was no information as to how a decision had been reached.

The decision must have been made because the medal ceremony had been held and the Danes awarded the gold medal, but the details elude perception. The decision must have been made early in the morning after a long session in the 'room' the previous evening that lasted into the early hours of the morning.

Promises of delivery have been made at frequent interval and platitudes, not decisions, have been delivered. It has taken considerable effort to uncover any reason why the facts of this interesting protest have not been made. It would appear that the data field on the web page of the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) is insufficiently big to contain the information.

Why, therefore, wasn’t an alternative method of delivery sourced? The days of the printed word are not completely over and offering a weak excuse for non-delivery is unbelievably rude. The world needs to know how the decision was reached but the media have been treated like mushrooms as it is believed that the decision has been posted inside the Olympic Village, which is out-of-bounds to those accredited for media purposes.

We learn too, through a Reuters’ report, that the Spanish Federation (FNEV) is challenging the decision and proposes to take it to the IOC. Iker Martinez, the silver medallist, said in a press conference that he knew nothing about this action and certainly didn’t endorse it. He congratulated the Danish gold medallists, saying that they had sailed well all week and that the Croatian sailors’ gesture to loan their boat was one of great sportsmanship.

So why can’t the world be told the whole truth?