Joanna Mills misses out on an Olympic place

[Capt Pat]

I'd be farily sure its nothing to do with North v South.

On the initial committee that selected Cuddihy there was one person from the south, one from the north, and one foreigner.
The appeals committee who then went for Mills was made up of 3 from the south.
Not sure what the Olympic Council make up was who decided they should go back to the original decision.

It does come down to politics. Cuddihy has been targeting the relay for the last 18 months or more, and taking part in all the relevant relay training etc. Mills has missed a lot of that as her primary target was the World Juniors.

Neither had a good enough time to qualify for the individual 400m.

You would think it would be a slam dunk to pick the person with the best time (i.e. Mills), but I can see why they made the initial decision to go with Cuddihy, given she's more part of the team, and her sister being our best 400m runner probably paid a part too, and in any event neither is likely to see any track time being ranked number 6 in a 4 person event! And we're not like the Americans that we can rest our best in the heats.

Intererstingly one of the other 400m relay runners is Jessie Barr who is supposed to be a great prospect in the 400m hurdles. While she has a B time for that event, she just missed out on the A time. She could have been picked for the 400m hurdles, but we decided to only pick people who have the A time.

However, given she was good enough to be picked for the relay team, it does seem ridiculous not to allow her take part in the 400m hurdles individual event also, which could only help her development. She could still also take part in the relay, but it would mean we would be allowed pick both Mills and Cuddihy as 5 and 6 in the relay (even though they'd be effectively 6 and 7 - neither would have much chance of track time, but it would have avoided all the mess and angst).

It seems that this A time grading is solely set by the Irish olympic committee, possibly to cut costs, but as you rightly point out Jessie Barr is already going as part of the relay team, so why not enter her in the hurdles as well?

The likes of Ciara Mageean will also lose out by not reaching the A grade time this year even though there'll be athletes from other countries competing with slower seasons bests.

It's a bit short sighted of the Irish Olympic committee in denying these young athletes a chance to dip their toes in an Olympics.

The reason we have no B standards is to stop wasting money on people who are not competitive. Last time out Brian Cowan intervened to send an old Offaly woman who had a B standard in the marathon. Look at the row we are having about Mills. Just think of all the rows the OCI would be dealing with about which B standard athletes to take. I think it is a pity that Mageean and a couple of others are not being given a chance but that is the way it is. mageean has not been in top form this year either.

Besides I think we have a very good team this time out with 66 athletes. A lot of the athletics team won't even be competitive in their events even having made the A standard.

There are two people we will really miss at the olympics that would have medaled that is Joe Ward and Kenyy Egan.

[Hound]

Mills says she's not going to take it to CAS, even though she may have a case, and she wishes the 4x400 team the best of luck

[nifan]

It was all southerners who selected Mills  so she camn not say that being from the north didn't help.

I think it is a problem caused that the more talented younger runner did not commit to the relay team so she was not selected. In relation to nepotism. Joanne Cuddihy might have had some say being the star runner on the team. But it was Mills that didn't give herself a vouce as being a team member by not attending team practice sessions etc

If I was picking the team now I would have picked Mills but if I was the coach who had said "attend traing sessions if you want to be on the team" I would have to select Cuddihy in order to be fair to the team and keep them happy, one of whom happens to be Cuddihy senior.

Havent seen her push the north vs south thing.

She seems to say that she had committed to it, that she had changed her tournament plans for the season due to the commitment to the relay etc

"A strong emphasis seems to have been placed on commitment to the relay team by the high performance director of AAI (Kevin Ankrom) when making his final considerations," the Ballymena & Antrim runner said.
"He seems to have not considered that I tried to contact and set up a meeting with him regarding the relay in December 2011."
"And that when he finally did contact me in May, I made a full commitment to the team by changing my plans for the rest of the season -- and particularly my preparations for the World Junior Championships -- by attending the European Championships and participating fully in the relay practices.

[Nally Stand]

Lawnseed seems to be only concerned with athletes from the North who have missed out on selection, surely sectarian in itself.

Are there any 26 county athletes who were deselected in favour of a 6 county athlete with a slower PB time, about whom he could be concerned about instead then?

[sheamy]

Joanna Mills is definitely fitter than Joanne Cuddihy. There's no doubt about it imo...

[imtommygunn]

Mageean has been a good bit off this year johnney to be fair and doesn't really merit going. I'm not even sure she'd have the B standard.

I'm hoping over the next few years she'll pick up and be a genuine contender at the next olympics but it hasn't happened for her just yet for some reason.

Eric the eel went with other countries so some must have lower standards but I think for athletics you require B standard minimum. A standard means it's discretionary against other A standards. (or alternatively like Britains 800 metres you can pick no A standards and pick a B standard)

The 400 girls are well off A or B standard but Mills should be going for the future.

[ludermor]

Lawnseed seems to be only concerned with athletes from the North who have missed out on selection, surely sectarian in itself.

Are there any 26 county athletes who were deselected in favour of a 6 county athlete with a slower PB time, about whom he could be concerned about instead then?

Well there was plenty of debate about whether David McCann was the best choice for the cycling road race in place of the  National Road champion for the last 3 years Matt Brammeier ( with Nicolas Roche and Dan Martin being the other 2 to make the team) .  Im not saying McCann doesnt deserve to go but Brammeier would have as strong a case as Mills ( IMHO of course)

[johnneycool]

Mageean has been a good bit off this year johnney to be fair and doesn't really merit going. I'm not even sure she'd have the B standard.

I'm hoping over the next few years she'll pick up and be a genuine contender at the next olympics but it hasn't happened for her just yet for some reason.

Eric the eel went with other countries so some must have lower standards but I think for athletics you require B standard minimum. A standard means it's discretionary against other A standards. (or alternatively like Britains 800 metres you can pick no A standards and pick a B standard)

The 400 girls are well off A or B standard but Mills should be going for the future.

Mageean has been plagued by an ankle problem for most of the year and has posted her seasons best time of 4.10 only two weeks ago, so was coming into form, albeit a little to late to get an A grade time.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Lawnseed seems to be only concerned with athletes from the North who have missed out on selection, surely sectarian in itself.

Are there any 26 county athletes who were deselected in favour of a 6 county athlete with a slower PB time, about whom he could be concerned about instead then?

Whine whine whine

[Evil Genius]

In relation to nepotism. Joanne Cuddihy might have had some say being the star runner on the team.

If I was picking the team now I would have picked Mills but if I was the coach who had said "attend traing sessions if you want to be on the team" I would have to select Cuddihy in order to be fair to the team and keep them happy, one of whom happens to be Cuddihy senior.

"In relation to nepotism", the suspicion stem not from the fact that Catriona's sister is the star performer in the relay squad, but that both are the daughters of this man:

Dr Bill Cuddihy, Qualified 1979 R.C.S.I, M.R.C.G.P and Fellow of Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine (FFSEM)

Doctor to Irish Athletics Teams, 2000 to 2008

Chief Medical Officer to Athletics Ireland 2007 – 2008

Doctor to Irish Athletics Team Beijing Olympics 2008
http://www.ampk.ie/dr-bill-cuddihy.html

(He's also Doctor to Kilkenny's Hurlers, btw)

[imtommygunn]

Mageean has been a good bit off this year johnney to be fair and doesn't really merit going. I'm not even sure she'd have the B standard.

I'm hoping over the next few years she'll pick up and be a genuine contender at the next olympics but it hasn't happened for her just yet for some reason.

Eric the eel went with other countries so some must have lower standardLs but I think for athletics you require B standard minimum. A standard means it's discretionary against other A standards. (or alternatively like Britains 800 metres you can pick no A standards and pick a B standard)

The 400 girls are well off A or B standard but Mills should be going for the future.

Mageean has been plagued by an ankle problem for most of the year and has posted her seasons best time of 4.10 only two weeks ago, so was coming into form, albeit a little to late to get an A grade time.

She also had one of her worst races ever recently. I don't think she's ready for it yet and her form hasn't been good but hopefully come next Olympics she'll have pushed on and will be challenging for a medal.

Mills has been dignified in the whole thing. Awful debacle.

[Applesisapples]

The North vs South thing is being touted by the BBC. I would have expect nothing else from OWC's Watson, but Sidebottom should know better. But the point is given the nepotism as detailed the selection process has given carte blanche to pro British elemnts in sport and journalism in the north to play this card. I'd also point out that this is the same BBC who employ journalists who when commenting on golf have to be asked about Harrington even though golf organises on an all island basis and Watson is one of the main culprits. Although fair play to Joel Taggart during the open he included the top 4 Irish players in his reports, even though the likes of Seamus McKee failed to enquire.

[imtommygunn]

The 26 vs 6 county thing is an easy conclusion to jump to.

I doubt it has anything to do with anything here.

There are ridiculous decisions in lots of countries olympic team selections which are due to internal politics. The athletics and olympics bodies are rife with internal politics in most countries and they're no difference here.

Very few athletes in the north at the minute would be even close to olympic standard so there's not really any like for like cases here.

[trasna man]

Joanna Mills may 'defect' to GB + NI
Michael O'Neill, 26 July 2012





A very demoralised, dejected and disillusioned, Joanna Mills , has confirmed that she has decided not to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over her exclusion from the Irish 4 x 400m relay squad.

On Tuesday, it was announced ,as we reported then that Catriona Cuddihy had been reinstated to the Irish team at the expense of Mills.

"If I were successful in my CAS appeal, I don't think I would now be comfortable going into the environment of competing in London," Mills told BBC Northern Ireland

"I'm really disappointed with the way the whole thing has been handled, especially by Athletics Ireland, and I hope they learn from it."

"The whole way the high performance management and coaches have dealt with this issue is disheartening and I will have to make a decision"

"It should just be about times and who is running faster, but other factors are coming in to play.

"If it's meant to be, there will be other Olympic Games for me."

Mills said that in the light of recent events she had not ruled out the possibility of switching allegiance to the GB + NI organisation.

"I've got a lot of opportunities through Ireland. A lot of individuals in the set-up have been very good to me.

"I can't in any way ignore that but at the same time, the whole way the high performance management and coaches have dealt with this issue is disheartening and I will have to make a decision.

"But it's not one I'm going to make at the minute – in the middle of all this."

The 19 years old from Mills, Ballymena, was adamant that she holds no grudge against towards Catriona Cuddihy and wished her and the team well for the Games.

"I hope they enjoy it," she concluded

It is easy to understand how disappointed that Joanna Mills must be at this stage following the fiasco but equally it has been an extremely difficult time for Catriona Cuddihy. There are no real winners here.

For Mills though it would be a major error if she were to make any immediate decisions. Time is a great healer. She has a big future ahead of her with the Irish team as some of the present team members are most unlikely to be around in four years time and she has said in her statement, " a lot of individuals in the set-up have been very good to me".

For now, this incident must be put aside in the interests of the Irish team competing in London 2012 but clearly both the Olympic Council of Ireland and particularly Athletics Ireland have serious questions to answer once the Games are over.

Time for a major shake – up to the Athletics Ireland set up at Senior Management level whilst the Olympic Council of Ireland needs to explain why as the ultimate authority they did not satisfy themselves that the selection criteria laid down was clear and beyond legal challenge . Athletics Ireland also needs to explain why Joanna Mills was even included in their squad considering she had not signed the declaration that they had originally insisted all athletes must sign before being considered for the relay squad. Why have rules if one does not abide by them?

All in all, a sad episode in Irish athletics history and one which must not be repeated.

[Tony Baloney]

The North vs South thing is being touted by the BBC. I would have expect nothing else from OWC's Watson, but Sidebottom should know better. But the point is given the nepotism as detailed the selection process has given carte blanche to pro British elemnts in sport and journalism in the north to play this card. I'd also point out that this is the same BBC who employ journalists who when commenting on golf have to be asked about Harrington even though golf organises on an all island basis and Watson is one of the main culprits. Although fair play to Joel Taggart during the open he included the top 4 Irish players in his reports, even though the likes of Seamus McKee failed to enquire.

Yes I follow Watson on twitter and he had to be prompted for the Harrington's score during the British Open when you would think GMac, Clarke, McIlroy and Harrington would all be of interest to golf fans "on the island of Ireland".