As reported by International Gymnast:
The final remaining berths for the 2008 Olympic Games have been awarded to a female from Vietnam and a male from Yemen.
Vietnam’s Thuong Di Thi Ngan and Yemen’s Nashwan Al-Hazari are the reported recipients of the Wild Card berths selected by a tripartite commission.
The commission consists of the International Olympic Committee, the International Gymnastics Federation and the Association of National Olympic Committees. Geographic representation at the Olympics is one of the factors for designating Wild Card berths.
Thuong, 19, finished 110th at the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart. She competed three events at the 2007 World Cup in Ghent, Belgium.
Al-Harazi competed five events at the 2007 Worlds, finishing 176th in preliminaries. …
Congratulations to both. Certainly this will be a big boost for gymnastics in their nations and regions.
There are some disappointed athletes today including Aljaz Pegan (Slovenia) and Elsa Garcia (Mexico).
Yuri van Gelder (Netherlands) and Krisztian Berki (Hungary) are two other superstars who will be missed in Beijing.
larger photo of Krisztian Berki – BERKI2.JPG – Gymnastics Australia
As a coach I always told my athletes not to let some committee decide whether or not they would be selected. An “appeal” is always a gamble. The goal must be to qualify automatically.
Regardless of the “wildcard” system used by FIG, someone deserving will be excluded. In 2004 the best athlete excluded was Leszek Blanik (Poland), 2000 Olympic Bronze medallist on Vault. Leszek did qualify for 2008.
Should “wildcard” spots be eliminated?
Should the selection system be revamped?
I don’t know. Leave a comment if you have an opinion.
17 comments ↓
Pegan is one of top three in the world and probably the best in the world in his discipline. However, according to wierd rules he cant go to Olympics. Al Haziri is not even known in the sport.
[...] They will not be happy there tonight as Pegan was not chosen. [...]
I think that this decision is realy BIG BIG SHAME for IOC, FIG, ANOC and everyone who involved in this decision (in MAG and WAG).
Maybe this people to old, maybe they lost contact with normal live, maybe they live in some other world?
I dont know.
I am not gymnast.
I am only fan. Big fan of gymnastics.
And I am very, very dissapoinment…
And I really wont to know what at this moment thinking Pegan, Gelder, Berki, Elsa Garcia and the other great gymnasts all over the world…
What makes Nashwan deserve to participate in World Olympic is coming from a country where he get little support and struggle alone to his way up.
It is a great and right decesion by FIG , IOC and ANOC.
Thanks Ehssan.
The point that FIG is trying to promote gymnastics in little developed regions has been lost in most of the commentary on the internet.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said:
“My dream is for all the stars of football to be at the Olympics, because in all other sports the best are there,” Rogge was quoted as saying by the German Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/sports/sports-soccer-olympics.html
I have nothing against this boy from Yemen but…
…Tell me please is that fair that we have different rules in olympic sports?
In one sport we want to see the best in the other we only trying to promote…
…and the second part ob above sentence of IOC president is not true.
In gymnastics we dont have the best in Olympic games – everyone who knows a little about gymnastics know that!
For example:
In Horizontal bar (MAG) we dont see:
PEGAN Aljaz (1st on FIG rang list),
MARAS Vlasios (2nd)
RIZZO Philippe (4th),…
on Rings:
VAN GELDER Yuri (1st),
CARMONA Regulo (2nd),…
…and many others!
In WAG Elsa Garcia is also denied from Olympic games…
p.s.: sorry about my language but I hope you understand me..
Today on FIG homepage:
CLARIFICATION (must read)
http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/index2.jsp?menu=GENERAL
They said: “It seems that the existing rules are not well known and we would therefore like to remind everybody the following criteria upon which the invitational places of the IOC Tripartite Commission are allocated.â€
And: “The IOC Tripartite Commission has strictly adhered to these criteria.â€
Only one questions:
Why 4 years ago (Athene) Tampakos got wild card?
Stritly adhered to criteria?
Which criteria?
It seems that IOC dont know its own critera…
Or the rules changed and we dont know nothing about the new rules?
It seems that tripartite Commission work on its on way – nothing transparent, we dont get any document abouts wild card allocation in last 5 month, the worst is that the first information we got from TV…
Only stays: The tripartite Commission has strictly adhered to these criteria, …The allocation has been done by tripartite Commission… the tripartite Commission doing this and this… everywhere is tripartite Commission…
In our country (democratic) we knows the name in all commission!!!
I am affraid that this commission never exist!!!
[...] The big announcement named Artistic gymnasts from Vietnam and Yemen to the last available places. I thought the issue was resolved, at least for this cycle. [...]
Rich nations can buy the gold medals (and IOC members)
Im not interestid olympia any more.
The Olympic Hall of Shame
The quick and easy guide to corruption in the IOC
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Stadium/1190/ioc.htm
Its old documnets (from 2004) but…
I just would like to know what is a ” WILD CARD” Can anybody explain me what is it?
lara_pepe20@hotmail.com
A “wild card” is an “extra” place allotted in a major competition for an athlete or team that did not qualify the “normal way”.
FIG uses wild card spots for the Olympics to help promote gymnastics in countries and regions of the world where our sport is not yet strong.
Gunilla Lindberg wrote to us (by email, 19.3.2008 at 11:24 AM):
___________
Thank you for the mail. You might not like the procedure but its very transparent and clear. A letter was sent out from IOC to all NOC:s in autumn 2007 explaining the procedure to apply for wild cards. The criterias f has been valid since 1996 with the following criteria:
Only NOC:s with less than 6 participants in previous games or with no athletes qualified can apply for wild cards.
Over 1.000 applications was sent in to IOC for 98 places in all sports
The allocation has been done through IOC NOC department and Olympic solidarity with the respective IF:s that has the knowledge about the individual athletes.
Sincerely Yours truly, Gunilla Lindberg
__________
I am totaly confused, help me please…
Anybody knows who was reallly in the tripartite commission?
1. (IOC NOC department – Olympic solidarity – IF) by Gunilla Lindberg or…
2. (IOC – NOC – FIG) by FIG homepage last week – still in FIG Techical regulations at: http://www.fedintgym.com/rules/docs/05-technical/technical0801-e.pdf page 63 or…
3. (IOC – NOC – IF) by FIG homepage this week
or
4. …………………. (write your combinations)
I am affraid that this commission never exist!
I don’t get it. Why can’t they choose someone who is able to win medals? The wild card spot should be for the absolute BEST who is unable to qualify under normal circumstances (IE not having an olympic team in their country)
Decisions on WHO gets a wild card is often controversial.
The USA got a wild card in trampoline for the 2008 Olympics. That’s hardly developing the sport in a new region.
Mike’s right. It’s time to get rid of the “reverse discrimination”. We want to see, as much as possible, the best gymnasts in the world in the Olympics.
I believe that wildcards should not be eliminated. I’m VERY happy that Di Thi Ngan (VIE) and Wania Monteiro (CPV) were selected this year. I remember the time when Brazil was viewed as a weak country in Gymnastics, and look at the gymnasts from Brazil now. Someday I hope that Vietnam, Yemen and Cape Verde can produce world-class gymnasts, but until then, giving wild cards for athletes of these countries is the best way to say they are going the right way. Besides, Elsa Garcia would not stand a chance. Leave her out already.
This is a disgrace that the vietnamese girl was eliminated for using a weight loss drug(especially since she wasn’t great in the first place)but poor elsa should have competed anyway!
very unfair
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