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Triple Olympic gold medallist Shane Gould reacted angrily to Ian Thorpe's disqualification. I think it sucks. There's rules and there's rules. There's rules about genuine stroke faults and false starts, but these are the Olympic trials, they're not the Olympics....

Ian Thorpe's rival, Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband, said he thought it was laughable the Australian would miss out on defending his 400 metres Olympic title after being disqualified at his national trials.
I find that so childish... It is laughable that he can't defend his title for something like that.

Thorpe can appeal to the Australian Swimming Incorporated Appeals Tribunal and independent international body, the Court of Arbitration for Sport... if noise was the factor! Without any doubt it was very noisy at the Aquatic Center yesterday as some bloggers were drinking beer and wine while others were Czeching out the tall dark woman next to Michael Knight. Hope that before the next Games, the sport's officialdom will be injected with a powerful dose of commonsense.

Cut-throat Trials Shame: Australian Swimming Making the World Down Under A Laughing Stock
Ian Thorpe, the 400 metres world record-holder, unbeaten in the event for more than six years, will not defend his Olympic title after being disqualified from a heat at the selection trials. Under Australia's strict qualification policy, only the two fastest swimmers in each race final qualify for the Olympics. Australia's costliest slip...
· Selection trials a joke: Hoogie Thorpe's golden dream crashes
· See Also Swim stars slam disqualification
· See Also This unforgiving method of selection gives the trials an emotional edge, but it's a world in which Petria Thomas is very much at home