Six Polish swimmers have been sent back home from the Tokyo Olympic Games following a shocking administrative error.
The Polish Swimming Federation was forced to cut its contingent of 23 to
17 after admitting they sent too many athletes to Japan following a
misunderstanding of FINA qualifying standards.
“I express great regret, sadness, and bitterness about the situation
related to the qualification of our players for the Olympic Games in
Tokyo,” Pawe? S?omi?ski, the President of the Polish Swimming Federation
said.
“Such a situation should not take place, and the reaction of the players, their emotions, the attack on the Polish Swimming Federation (PZP) is understandable to me and justified.”
The impacted swimmers, Alicja Tchórz, Bartosz Piszczorowicz, Aleksandra Pola?ska, Mateusz Chowaniec, Dominika Kossakowska and Jan Ho?ub returned to Poland on Sunday and are now threatening legal action.
Tchórz wrote to Facebook: “Imagine dedicating five years of your life and striving for another start at the most important sporting event, giving up your private life and work, sacrificing your family.
“Your dedication is fruitful with a total flop. Six days before the grand finale, it turns out that you were denied your dreams because of the incompetence of third parties.
“It's hard to gather your thoughts, and there are a few hours left to pack your suitcase.”
