BARCELONA, Spain, July 11. ACCORDING to a report by ESPN Deportes, Erika Villaecija and Eduard Lorente both may bypass the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to an ongoing feud with the Spanish Swimming Federation.
Villaecija, who competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics as well as finished fourth in the 800 free and fifth in the 1500 free at the 2007 FINA World Championships, joins Lorente as their coach Joan Fortuny states that the pair feel "persecuted by the Spanish Federation."
At a press conference today held at the Centro del Alto Rendimiento de Sant Cugat del Valles, the trio stated that the Spanish Federation, which dismissed Fortuny as a coach with the organization in May, has attempted to force the swimmers to leave Fortuny as their primary coach.
Additionally, the pair stated that the Spanish Federation imposed fines on them stemming from the World Championships based on their violation of the organization's swim suit dress code policy.