2010 WINTER OLYMPICS:IRELAND'S WOMEN'S bobsleigh team of Aoife Hoey and Claire Bergin have been cleared to compete at the Winter Olympics, which gets underway in Vancouver on Friday.
A late legal challenge from the Australian Olympic Committee, to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) last Friday, had threatened to override Ireland’s qualification on their claim that one Oceanic team was entitled to compete.
But after a lengthy deliberation, which had been preceded by the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) presenting a vehement counter-argument, it was decided last night that both Ireland and Australia would be allowed compete – the only compromise that was seen as acceptable to both National Olympic Committees, even though that entails a derogation of the Olympic competition rules. The Australians thus become the 21st team to qualify.
The problem arose when the Australian’s submitted an appeal to CAS contending they should be given a position in the bobsleigh line-up of 20; this resulted from the Austrian team withdrawing, bumping Ireland up to 19th, while Japan was offered the vacant 20th spot as the top team in Asia.
The Australians argued they should be entered under the wild-card provision, which makes a slot available to Oceania and another for Asia, according to the international bobsleigh federation’s rules.
