– My own country prevents me from participating, writes high jumper Maja Nilsson on Instagram. Her name was not on the latest withdrawal list SOK published this week. She is one of several disappointed Swedish athletes who feel let down by the Olympic Committee. – Now I have qualified for the Olympics twice, and twice I have been denied participation, writes runner Yolanda Ngarambe. 117 Swedish athletes, plus 11 reserves, have been selected for the Olympics. In comparison, Norway, which has only half the population of Sweden, has 109 athletes. Legal action The national rules for Olympic selection in Sweden are stricter than the international regulations set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Among other things, the sailor Emil Bengtson believes that SOK has broken the rules. In January, he secured the Swedes a place in the sailing class ILCA7, but he is not allowed to go to the Olympics. With pro bono help from the lawyer Daniel Stattin, Bengtson has started a legal process against the SOK and is now taking the case to the Sports Court of Arbitration (Cas). – It is very clear in the IOC statutes how it should be done when the guidelines are to be established. National bodies cannot make their own rules, says Stattin to Aftonbladet. SOK’s CEO Peter Reinebo, on the other hand, believes that they can. In Aftonbladet, he refers to an email from IOC director Lenny Abbey: “The mandate is in accordance with rule 27 of the Olympic charter, which states that the national Olympic committees have the exclusive right to representation from their respective countries”. TOP MANAGER IN SOK: Peter Reinebo. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT / NTB news has been in contact with SOK, which refers to the press release reproduced by Aftonbladet. According to the IOC, national Olympic committees decide which athletes are registered after being nominated by the confederations, it says. Hurdle runner Simon Sundström has said the following about SOK: – They have the power to do as they please. – When will we start being proud of Swedish athletes, who could have been part of the Olympic Games? is the question Nilsson is left with after the wreck. Despair In the UK, several athletes have resorted to social media to vent their frustration linked to the Olympic selection. – I feel betrayed, writes the British athlete Jake Norris on Instagram. He is a former British hammer champion. According to Norris, he tried to appeal, but was unsuccessful. The British hurdler Phil Normann was also not selected. Afterwards, he got legal help to appeal, but without success. – I fought tooth and nail, with the help of legal counsel and the British Athletics Commission to appeal this decision. Unfortunately, my appeal was rejected, writes the British hurdler on X. A spokesperson for the British association, UK Athletics (UKA), explains that they emphasize results that indicate that the athletes are capable of being among the top eight. – When withdrawing, there will always be someone who ends up on the wrong side, and we understand the disappointment of those who fall into this category, writes the BBC. There has also been dissatisfaction with the withdrawal in Norway. Jacob Boutera told news on Thursday that he felt passed over. – I think the Olympic dream probably stops here, but I want to show that it has happened in an unfair way, he said. – Hårreisende The British athletes receive massive support in the comment fields. The Swedish athletes also receive support and sympathy. – What the Swedes are doing is completely incomprehensible, the whole athletics world is tearing their hair out, says Ull/Kisa sporting director Hans Jørgen Borgen to news. – The Olympic summit in Sweden is almost seen as nobility, who do as they please, he says further. incomprehensible: Sports manager in Ull/Kisa Hans Jørgen Borgen does not understand why Sweden does not take more athletes to the Olympics. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein / news Atle Guttormsen, father and coach of the pole vaulters Simen and Sondre Guttormsen, agrees: – I think that is completely hopeless and extremely demotivating. It destroys the competitions and also gets the TV viewers, who would like to see their own athletes. The demands they make are hair-raising. Borgen doesn’t think many people would have been allowed to participate in the Olympics if everyone used the Swedes’ recipe: – In Sweden, you almost have to be a medal candidate to be allowed to participate a second time. High jumper Nilsson is an example of this. She represented Sweden during the Olympics in Tokyo, where she finished in 13th place. At that time, she was selected on the so-called “future criterion”. This means that young athletes can participate, even if they are not expected to reach the top 12, which is the main criterion for being selected in both Norway and Sweden. In 2021, Nilsson overperformed in the Olympics. – Who says I can’t do it again? asks the high jumper, who has now turned 24. OLYMPIC DREAM CRUSHED: Maja Nilsson took part in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but is not allowed to go to Paris. Photo: Reuters Nine Swedish athletes have performed at the level of the International Athletics Federation World Athletics’ requirements, but have not been selected for the Games due to SOK’s own criteria. These selection criteria are used by SOK The basic criterion implies that SOK, in collaboration with the head of the federation in each sport, assesses which active athletes can compete for the top 12 in their sport. Before 2023 it was the top 8. The future criterion is for those under the age of 25, who are close to reaching the basic criterion and are believed to be competitive in the long term. Guttormsen believes that World Athletics should issue an ultimatum that the various countries must comply with their rules in connection with Olympic selection: – So that they must therefore select the athletes who are on the lists. Because there are so many athletes they want in each competition and the number is set to create good competitions. That is the advantage of the ranking in athletics. HOPELESS: Atle Guttormsen is not impressed by SOK. Here he is pictured with his sons Simen and Sondre, who will take part in the pole vault competition in the Olympics. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / Stian Lysberg Solum Published 06.07.2024, at 11.50
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