Best wishes to Christopher Martin and Prashanth Sellathurai, representing Australia at the Maribor World Cup this weekend, and Ghent Challenger Cup in Belgium the following weekend.
***
Update June 2: Congrats Prashanth! 15.725 on pommel for World Cup gold in Maribor!
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Tip your editor Meredith at ozgymblog@gmail.com.
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38 comments:
The second week of Australian Nationals was a little more interesting.
In the final session, the judges were dropping like flies and needed to leave the floor vomiting.
Panels dropped from six to four judges and the jury took the floor to replace missing judges.
Ambulances were called, a quarantine station was established, sick gymnasts brought in to the venue.
Drips were inserted into most sufferers.
Finally tally was approx 28 ill, most transported to Concord Hospital before being released early this morning.
Food poisoning suspected.
AMAZING end to an AMAZING Nationals
So by all accounts it was fully sick?
Sorry.
:P
on another note prashanth won pommel
oh poor GA! It's gotta be very disappointing for them!
he he he...nice one Mez
What a horrible way to end Nationals. Hope everyone is ok. On a better note, well done Prashanth
did anyone here eat in their village thing? what was the food like for the high price?
@10.55am anonymous ... what event did Prashanth win... Ghent comp is next weekend??
The food poisioning came from the GA tent. $50 a day was a joke.
Just saw a piece on the Channel 10 news about it. Egads! Hope all are safe and sound.
Ch 10 made it sound like Olympic triallers were affected, until towards the very end of the piece when the reporter indicated they'd already finished up.
I ate in the tent on Wed. The food was alright. Like all buffet style eateries there is always a risk of something going bad. Unfortunate end to what was a pretty good week. Liked seeing some of the gymsports in one arena, cool to see how the 'other side' compete!!
well done Prashanth. dayum, that was a ridiculous routine mate!
Yay Prashanth! My fave MAG gymnast. I wish he was going to London.
Not a good sign that buffet food gave food poisoning towards the end of the event - suggests they tried to stretch the life out of the food they had instead of preparing fresh food. I'm not sure that I would have the "always a risk of something going bad attitude" if I got food poisoning from the buffet. It isn't that hard to ensure food doesn't go bad. Who was the caterer?
I stayed the entire 2nd week, with the food package. Food was over priced and very very very boring, same cold lunch every day with a change in one choice of hot dish. Silverside ham turkey salad every day, gross bread rolls and pita bread. At first I thought this is ok - but by day 3 was over the same set out. Hot dishes were fried rice (gross), potato and leek soup that tasted like boiled potato water, on a positive note one day was a yummy minestroni. Menu was set by GA appointed dietician who should be held accountable. People were served the same food every lunch for two weeks at a cost of $22 per crappy lunch. Dinners were not much better but did have some variety and $28 was way over priced. The food poisoning was to be expected - so much was left over each day I would not be surprised if the caterer reheated stuff. I would do the food package again but it would have to be better value for money and much much more variety. Mez please forward this to GA I do appreciate the anonymity.
I stayed the entire two weeks and ate on and off in the food tent.
I actually found the food rather good (although still over priced)
The food was fresh and I never saw the same meal reserved the next day. I can however see how the lunches would become repetitive but the dinners were better.
IMHO - the food poisoning occurred on the last day for a few reasons.
The dining hall opened at 5.30pm, the same time as the competition. On other days, the hall was opened early for judges to eat before the session. This was not arranged on the last night an when the judges arrived, the caterers hurriedly got the food together.
One of the dishes was a chicken stirfry. As with all chicken dishes, if not heated through, there is a risk of contamination.
With the sudden arrival of the judges, this meal may not have been heated well enough.
Very few kids were effected supporting this theory. It appears that only those who ate before the usual sitting time (the judges) became ill. There were a couple of ill children but this may have been a gastro type bug.
The timeframe for illness supports the food poisoning. The judges all became ill at the same time and shortly after eating.
Several judges who did not eat at the tent, did not become ill.
Seems that whilst this could have been avoided, it was also really bad luck.
The whole event was very uncomfortable for those effected and it was amazing that the event continued in the circumstances.
I for one, would like to see something put out publicly by the Caterer in recognition of the circumstances.
At $50 per day, over a two week period, they were making a considerable sum each day.
An apology would not go astray.
I have checked their website (gema.com.au) and nothing has appeared as yet.
The dining hall was opened before 530 on the last night as I was back in the gym before then
The days I ate there it was ok but I wouldn't have paid for it in a package. The concept was good- have an international style "village" feel but in reality a lot of people aren't attending Nationals for the team atmosphere, they just want to get in, compete (win, hopefully) and get out.
I generally don't eat at buffets as I don't like food that is being kept warm in a Bain Marie. There really is a risk of food poisoning at all buffets, especially withhot meals containing chicken (and seafood but of course there was none of that there).
The event was a bit strecthed out but overall it was good. I hope that the states are offering constructive feedback to GA RE pricing, the scheduling etc because I hear that this type of event is likely to occur for the next 5 years...
Also here is an interesting article on the GA CEO Cath Clarke. Quite the high flyer...
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/olympics-2012/balancing-act-20120602-1zpfj.html
Apparantly the womens 12 member squad for olympic trials has been named!. The waverly facebook page says Angela and Georgia B are both included. Anyone know who else?
Go Georgia Bonora!
Interviews regarding the food poisoning have begun!
Anyone else had a phone call?
I had a phone call on sunday while waiting at the airport for my flight
Sunday as in yesterday
Why has waverly posted this information in their Facebook when everyone has been asked not to post this information. In Olympic selection there are processes that need to be followed and everyone else is following them. Shame on you waverley. Disrespectful of everyone else
How do you know that everyone has been asked not to release the information?
Why do GA have to try and hide the truth. They shouldn't make it out as though the competition was a huge success. They should provide an accurate summary , not a fraudulent recount of what took place. The more u try and hide something, the more people want to know about it. All gyms should be able to tell the truth.
I agree with anon 7.44pm
All parties are asked to keep it quiet until tomorrow.
This allows ALL gymnasts to be notified and the situation discussed. This is even more important for the non successful candidates.
Waverley jumping ahead is not respectful to all participants.
Shame on you Waverley
They are retaliating at peggy for making Angela donald wear a leotard made of peanut butter and jelly.
So question about the original topic - I read somewhere that there was still a chance to qualify for the Olympics at these two events that Prasanth is at this week? Anyone know what the gymnasts have to do to qualify? Is there any chance Prasanth would get to go?
No, Prashanth doesn't have any chance to go to London. All Olympic qualification spots were allocated at either the 2011 Worlds or 2012 Olympic Test Event.
Teams that finished 1-8 from Worlds, and 9-12 from the Test Event can now send ANY five gymnasts to London that they choose.
Teams 13-18 from the Test Event can send ANY one gymnast that they choose.
Teams 19-24 from 2011 Worlds (two gymnasts each), plus selected other all arounders (from nations other than the top 24 teams) were able to send two gymnasts to compete in the all around at the Olympic Test event (Tom & Josh). There was a cut off to qualify for London, something like top 20. If there were two from one country who made the cut off, then the federation can choose which one they want to send. (Tom & Josh both made the cut of course, and Josh was selected by Gymnastics Australia).
The only apparatus specialists to have qualified were medallists from 2011 Worlds (also subject to other criteria).
Hope that makes sense, the qualification was ridiculously complicated this time, which is pretty pointless since there are still some fantastic gymnasts being left out of the Games (namely Prashanth).
I wrote something incorrectly... the start of paragraph three should read:
Teams 19-24 from 2011 Worlds (two gymnasts each), plus selected other individual all arounders (from nations other than the top 24 teams) were able to compete in the all around at the Olympic Test event
Hope I got the rest right!
Seems waverley have a conscience.
The early announcement has gone
Well done
They were probably asked to embargo it in anticipation of a media announcement of the final 12. That's how media works... GA isn't "hiding" anything, they trying to take the best opportunity to get as much exposure as possible. They've done a pretty good job in the last two weeks I think. I'm sure there was a slight misunderstanding with Waverly.
'slight' misunderstanding?
More likely to be Simone big noting
She always thinks she is the centre of he universe and beyond rules.
Do NOT troll with personal attacks like that.
Not on, ok. Not on.
anon 11.11 stfu.
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