The Australian Track Cycling Championships are under way at the new Dunc Gray Veledrome in Sydney,
Australia and Impact Internet Services are once again trackside to bring you all the action as it
happens. The lead-up to the championships has been plagued by much controversy with the attempted defection
of Lucy Tyler-Sharman back to the USA track cycling team and now the new revelation that aussie Kathy
Watt had been courting New Zealand cycling officials for a change of nationality so that she could
compete as a Kiwi in the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Fortunately in the case of first Watt, her attempts to jump
camp at such short notice were dropped because of red tape. In the case of Tyler-Sharman Cycling Australia
said enough was enough and refused point blank a transfer request. In Kathy Watts corner will be the fact
that she will compete in competition at the championships and will have the same opportunity as every
other rider to prove her ability. This is the only way to show the selectors that she is genuine
about her desires to make the team. In fact she is in a far better position than Tyler-Sharman as Mike Flynn
is prepared to sit down with her and discuss training approaches made both by Watt & her fiance
Carey Hall and at least he is happy to do that provided I suppose that she is happy to work in with team
planning and become a "team member". That must be first priority before any final selection is made, what effect
including a rider in the Olympic Squad will have on the team as a whole. In the case of Tyler-Sharman its time
for the fiasco to be buried and forgotten and this will hinge on any appeal that she may make through the legal
appeals system open to her. I for one think it would be a shame if she is allowed to ride for another country
by circumventing the established rules and even more so at the expense of the Australian tax payers who have poured
good money in to this athletes training and career. So as the senior championships get under way lets hope and
pray that its a trouble free run up to the Sydney Olympics as we seek the best athletes for our track cycling squad.
