24th March - BSF announces CARIFTA Swim & WP Teams
The BSF announced the much-anticipated names of the 30-member 2004 CARIFTA Swim Team.

The inaugural 2004 CARIFTA Water Polo Teams are:

As with the 2003 Team, members of the swimming community were once again left bewildered over how several non-qualifiers made their way onto the team. Swimmers participating in the Team Selection Trials on 12th and 13th March who did not achieve the BSF's CARIFTA Qualifying Times but came in first or second in multiple events thought that they had put themselves in position for consideration for selection under the CARIFTA non-qualifiers rule [Rule ISR 11.1.4 of the BSF's International Rules]. But that was not the case. Presumably, the BSF selected certain swimmers, most apparently in the 11-12 Girls, more for their potential in the freestyle relays than for overall balance in all four strokes and the medleys.

10th April - Carifta selection controversy continues
The 6 11-12 Girls achieving CARIFTA QT's in the 100m Freestyle were named to the team at the expense of having swimmers with a possibility of making finals in the 100m Breast, 100m and 200m Fly and the 200m Ind. Medley. And while no-one understands the composition of the 13-14 and 15-17 Boys teams, there are no surprises in the composition of the Water Polo teams. Looking at this year's teams, those of us familiar with BSF history can safely say that all debts have been repaid. What a pity! Instead of using objectives results achieved in the swimming pool, which was the reason for having a BSF Team Selection Trial in the first place, Bahamian swimming has apparently returned to the halcyon days of subjective selections based on who the swimmer is or whether their coach talks loudest and longest for their inclusion.

SwimBahamas was just looking at the results of the British Long Course Nationals, which is also their Olympic Team Selection Trials. British swimmers are not just required to make an Olympic Qualifying Time but must also beat this year's Top 12th fastest time in their event to qualify for the British Olympic Swimming Team. They had swimmers achieving Olympic "A" Times who did not immediately qualify for their team. Unless those swimmers can satisfy the ASAGB's times at another meet, that's the end of it for them - no looking at who they are and there's nothing that the coach can say. Australia's Ian Thorpe, the world-record holder, was DQ'ed at his country's Olympic Team Selection Trials for falling into the pool at the start of the 400m Free and he's out of the event for the Olympics. Both policies might be hard to accept but they are totally objective, totally open, totally transparent, and apply across the board to all swimmers, regardless of who they are and what their coach says. What a difference!

Download the SwimBahamas Top Time Report for all Long Course meets during the CARIFTA qualifying period [1st October, 2003, to 13th March, 2004] in MS Word format and see what we're talking about.

This page last updated: 10 April, 2004