A young bobsleigh team denied Winter Olympics selection despite meeting international selection criteria has the backing of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
Sliding Sports Australia (SSA) last week chose not to nominate Breanna Walker, Ashleigh Werner and Mikayla Dunn for next month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Three-time Olympian Jana Pittman labelled the snub as “complete and utter madness”, Fairfax Media reported.
Pittman represented Australia in the same event at Sochi 2014.
With pilot Walker ranked inside the world top-40, Australia was one of only 12 nations permitted to send a two-woman bobsleigh team to Pyeongchang.
In a statement on Thursday, the AOC said the young team “deserved” nomination but implied its hands were tied as SSA refused to name a pairing.
SSA added its own physical standards and start time conditions to the selection criteria imposed by the world bobsleigh governing body.
Among the physical standards criteria, athletes must be able to either squat 100kg, power clean 80kg or jump 2.5 metres from a standing start.
“The AOC believes a sensible balance can be achieved between upholding the appropriate standard of achievement for Olympic competition and the benefits of developing Australian athletes through Olympic experience for greater achievement in the years ahead,” AOC spokesman Strath Gordon said.
“The AOC believed there was a strong case for the inclusion of a women’s bobsleigh team on developmental grounds.”
The trio, who have paid their own way for the past two years while competing internationally, have been circumspect since being overlooked.
“No matter what happens we have been proud to wear the green and gold on top of the hill this season,” they posted to Facebook this week, alongside a photo of them at a competition in Switzerland.
The SSA has been contacted for comment.
