Topic: Casey Burgener not chosen to lift in the Olympic Games

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

IWF fires back at USA weightlifting

BEIJING (AP) -- The International Weightlifting Federation has accused U.S. weightlifting officials of misleading the public in the case of Casey Burgener, an American super heavyweight who was left off the Olympic team.

In an open letter Saturday to the U.S. Olympic Committee, IWF President Tamas Ajan said USA Weightlifting had made "unfounded statements" about why Burgener couldn't compete in Beijing. The IWF and USA Weightlifting have been disputing the number of U.S. weightlifters who qualified for the men's competition. The U.S. federation claims it was originally given three slots and that one was taken away unjustly, forcing it to leave Burgener off the team.

The IWF says the U.S. never qualified for more than two slots, a point Ajan stressed in his letter while rejecting what he called "accusations and assaults on behalf of the USA Weightlifting, based on unfounded statements."

Ajan said that U.S. weightlifting officials "repeatedly misled the U.S. public, the media, and Mr. Burgener, his family and associates -- and probably the USOC, too," about the case. The spokesman for the U.S. weightlifting team, Cecil Bleiker, didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

It came a day after Dennis Snethen, the interim executive director of USA Weightlifting, lashed out at the IWF at a news conference in Beijing and said Burgener deserved to compete in the Olympics.

"We earned those slots on the field of play and they're taken away from us," Snethen told reporters Friday.

The U.S. appeared to have qualified for three slots after a good performance at the 2007 World Championships. However, those slots were lost when the U.S. dropped in the team rankings after the IWF reshuffled the grid to account for positive doping tests. Snethen criticized the recalculation, saying it was unfair that the U.S. team fell in the rankings, even though it didn't have any positive tests.

"It just seems the U.S. could not get a break. I don't know what it is," he said. The U.S. team brought Burgener to Beijing anyway, hoping that he would be allowed to compete at the last minute. But those hopes died when his name was not on the final start list issued for the super heavyweight competition.

Ajan blamed the U.S. for unfairly keeping Burgener "in the false belief" that he could take part in the Olympics. "We can understand his frustration when he finally learned what had been repeatedly officially confirmed all the way," Ajan said.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

I don't see how the IWF can say the USAW is misleading people when it was Dragomir Cioroslan who is credited with making the announcement. After all, he is a/the IWF Vice President and BOD member, right? True he works for the USOC as well as being a USAW BOD member- sort of in the middle of everything and a perfect fall guy I guess. Personally, I find it hard to believe Dragomir would just make something like that up. Until I hear from him at least, I believe he was told we had the slot by the IWF in some way.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Vote for Casey!

[Mike Wittmer]

I don't see how the IWF can say the USAW is misleading people when it was Dragomir Cioroslan who is credited with making the announcement. After all, he is a/the IWF Vice President and BOD member, right? True he works for the USOC as well as being a USAW BOD member- sort of in the middle of everything and a perfect fall guy I guess. Personally, I find it hard to believe Dragomir would just make something like that up. Until I hear from him at least, I believe he was told we had the slot by the IWF in some way.

This whole thing smells.  I have seen the letter Ajan wrote to the USOC.  It does not put USAW in a good light.
How do we know what Dargomir said or did?  Or Dennis?  Or the USOC people? 
Personally, I'd like to talk to all of them, face to face, and get their side of it.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Well, thats hear what Dragomir has to say! Its time for him to speak!

[Paul LaDuke]

It is interesting to me that the IWF felt the need to fire back a response through the press!  The only explanation that I can think of for this response is that they were feeling some pressure and heat.  Reading responses on another forum, many people accused the USAW of not doing enough and putting enough pressure on the IWF.  It seems that they were or someone was!

I would love to hear Dragomir side of the story.  It seems someone is flat out lying about what transpired a couple of months ago.  I know who I think is lying, but I will just keep my opinion to myself. 

The saddest part about this whole process is that a highly ranked (and clean) weightlifter has been used as a pawn in a political game by the IWF officials. 

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

Many things contributed to mix-up with OTC resident
By Brian Gomez

BEIJING • His weightlifting gear has been packed. His Olympic credential has been processed. His bed has been reserved at the athletes’ village.

Casey Burgener won’t use any of it.

The Olympic Training Center resident is a mere spectator at the Beijing Games, denied an opportunity to compete because of a misunderstanding between Colorado Springs-based USA Weightlifting and the International Weightlifting Federation.

Burgener, 25, twice thought he had qualified for Beijing — initially at the 2007 world championships in September, then after the Pan American Championships in March — before not seeing his name Thursday on an Olympic competitors’ list.

The IWF revoked Burgener’s spot after the U.S. Olympic trials in May and didn’t award the 231.5-plus-pounder a wild card position, despite lobbying from USA Weightlifting and U.S. Olympic Committee officials.

“This has haunted our team,” said USA Weightlifting interim executive director Dennis Snethen, whose men’s squad is reduced to Kendrick Farris and Chad Vaughn.

Snethen blames the mix-up on poor communication from the IWF, altered international qualifying procedures and a lack of enforcement on drug cheats.

The U.S. earned three Olympic quota spots by finishing a combined 27th — the IWF cutoff — during the 2006 and 2007 world championships. In December, Snethen learned only by browsing the IWF Web site that the U.S. had dropped to 28th because of positive drug tests, none by American athletes.

After the U.S. won the non-qualified team competition of the Pan American Championships, USA Weightlifting issued a release, saying the third spot had been confirmed. Two months later, Burgener prevailed at trials.

A week after trials, the IWF took away Burgener’s spot, and the USOC felt it didn’t have a strong enough case to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said U.S. lifter Natalie Woolfolk, who is engaged to Burgener. “He deserves this as much as any of us. He deserves to be called an Olympian.”

Said USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel: “It’s very disappointing. Casey trained, prepared and came here ready to compete. He deserved the opportunity.”

Snethen counted seven changes in a qualifying system “full of inconsistencies.” He also took exception to Olympic lifters from countries that paid the IWF fines for positive tests, including Bulgaria and Greece.

“You can pay money, and you’re not penalized,” Snethen said. “We’re lifting weights clean, the way we should, we don’t say a word, and then we have things taken away from us. We play the game clean, and we’re penalized.”

[Andy Dick]

I voted yes because they should fight it.  But I honestly don't think anything will come about by it.  But I think the sheer principle of fighting it will go a long way.  I think it would say a lot on the part of USAW if they stick up for him.

Also,  I can't find where to vote for casey on the nbc site anyone know where it is?