Nopesport

I was wondering if anyone had taken a look at Oli and Jenny recently?

It seems not all is well with selections and for the first time in lottery funding, Britain will not be taking a full team to WOC in Japan.

From the front page of OliandJenny.co.uk
"She later learned from an email that was only circulated to the team that the GB places will not be filled in the women's middle distance at WOC. After three fully funded training camps to Japan a GB result will be thrown down the drain at WOC. I'm no stato, but I wonder when the last time GB did not take a full team to WOC - certainly not since lottery funding. For Jenny it feels as though they would rather have an empty place than take her to run in her chosen discipline."

It looks as if doing middle, long and relay has been considered too much of a hard week for athletes in WOC. Although many of the senior members wanted to do those races, they were selected for sprint, middle and relay or middle and long.

Although Helen Winskill has been selected for long, middle and relay. In an email that was sent out to the WOC team, it was said that Helen would be running either the long or middle, not both of them. So does this mean that they will take the non-travelling reserve, not so apparently according to the email. Does Claire Ward know this? Or for that matter would they pick Jenny who according to 'OliandJenny.co.uk' website would have been next in line for the middle?

This raises questions over the selectors regarding a few things they have said in their selection policies.

From 2005 Specific Selections Information (Seniors)

Under 'WOC training Camp 4 and World Championships'.
"We intend to select the best team available."

I am not arguing that anyone in the team should not be in it, as I do agree they earned their right to be on the team. But in missing out Jenny, and having one less middle place, have they selected 'the best team available'?

In addition, from the website it makes out that the selectors have yet to contact Jenny regarding her non-selection. Should we take that to mean they have broken another statement they made in 2005General Selection Policy where they state:

"Anyone not selected for a particular training camp or fixture that the coaches or selectors deem to ‘have been strongly in contention’ will be informed of their ‘non selection’ prior to general publication."

Or do they consider that Jenny had not been in strong enough contention?

Is it serious enough for selectors heads to roll? We shall see if anything happens.