By Phillip Whitten<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, July 13. PITY poor Elka Graham, one of Australia's top medal hopefuls for Barcelona. <\/p>\n
First the 21 year-old, ranked third in the world in the 200m free, suffered two fainting spells after practice and was diagnosed with a heart problem. That led to her suspension from the Aussie team competing in Barcelona.<\/p>\n
Then she got another medical opinion, which said she was okay. After she and her coach, Brian Sutton, put tremendous pressure on Australian Swimming, she was reinstated. <\/p>\n
Now Sutton, 41, who is also the head Aussie men's coach, has been sacked from the Barcelona World Championship team.<\/p>\n
Sutton was cut after he failed to join a pre-Barcelona training camp in Sindelfingen, Germany, when expected, team officials said today.<\/p>\n
National high performance director Greg Hodge said Sutton was allowed to stay in Australia for two days on compassionate grounds after the team left for Germany a week ago but was sacked from the team when he dedcided to take an extra day without getting appropoval from Australian Swimming.<\/p>\n
Hodge said the compassionate grounds had nothing to do with issues surrounding Graham. It is believed Sutton was allowed to stay at home until Tuesday because his wife is ill.<\/p>\n
Graham and Sutton left Sydney for Germany on Wednesday, but Hodge said he had already told Sutton he'd been dimissed from the team and his credential withdrawn.<\/p>\n
"We're all mates with Brian. He's respected by the athletes. Of course it's difficult. But this is a team," Hodge said. "This is not a bunch of individuals running around the world."<\/p>\n
Australian head women's coach Scott Volkers has taken over as head coach of the team in Sutton's absence. Volkers, too, is under a cloud, as he has been accused of sexually abusing a former swimmer some two decades ago.<\/p>\n
The following statement was issued tonight by Ian Hanson, media director for Australian Swimming, Inc.:<\/p>\n
"Australian Swimming Inc. announced today it has stood down National Head Men\u2019s coach Brian Sutton from its Barcelona World Championship team, for a breach of team by-laws.<\/p>\n
"Sutton, 41, applied for permission to join the Telstra Dolphins training camp in Sindelfingen, two days after the 70-strong squad left for Germany on Sunday, July 6.<\/p>\n
"This concession, on compassionate grounds, was granted by ASI and Sutton was due to join the team on Tuesday (July 8).<\/p>\n
\u201c'When he did not join the team on Tuesday, Australian Swimming had to consider Brian\u2019s position on the team as a head coach and as a personal coach,'\u201d ASI chief executive officer Glenn Tasker said today.<\/p>\n
\u201c'We gave Brian the time he requested but expected him to join the team on Tuesday but he failed to make that commitment.<\/p>\n
\u201c'Subsequently, Brian\u2019s position on the 2003 World Championship team has been withdrawn.'\u201d<\/p>\n
"Australian Swimming head women\u2019s coach Scott Volkers has assumed the role of head coach of the team as it prepares for next week\u2019s 10th FINA World Swimming Championships in Barcelona.<\/p>\n
"Sutton travelled to Sindelfingen (where the Telstra Dolphins are in camp until next Wednesday, July 16) independently last Wednesday (July 9) with his freestyle star, Elka Graham, who re-joined the team after receiving a health clearance on Monday.<\/p>\n
"The 1996 and 2000 Olympic coach has spent time in Sindelfingen this week working with Graham, alongside National Squad coach Stephan Widmer and under the direction of Volkers.<\/p>\n
"Graham will now continue her second World Championship campaign under the watchful eyes of Widmer, Volkers and the Australian Swimming medical team."<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Phillip Whitten SYDNEY, July 13. PITY poor Elka Graham, one of Australia's top medal hopefuls for Barcelona. First the 21 year-old, ranked third in the world in the 200m<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n