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The decision came on Monday evening (July 8), when her two requests to join the team were rejected.
“Everything has been going really well this year and I’m really excited. So, it’s been really hard for me, especially with what I went through last year in China,” she said.
The selection process needs to be improved
Ko Wen-je signed a document last Thursday accepting the invitation from the Singapore Aquatics Games (SAQ) to represent Singapore at the Paris Olympics.
But the situation changed, and SAQ decided to send Yan Qinghuishe will compete in the 4×100 medley relay in addition to the individual 800 and 1,500 freestyle events.
Ke said the confusion stemmed from the way the World Swimming Federation, the global governing body, allocated Olympic quotas by first confirming athletes for the relays, such as Ke, before filling spots for swimmers who had qualified in the “B” category, including Gan.
Koa said the SAQ should have considered the possibility that other athletes might qualify before asking her to sign what she considered a binding agreement.
She argued that the selection process for the World Swimming Championships has been in place for a long time, so it is not inconceivable that Gan could qualify for the Olympics.
“(The SAQ’s) responsibility should be to cover all of our bases … so that it is easier for the governing body (SAQ) to understand how to handle various situations that arise,” she said.
“I think there needs to be accountability measures to revisit the selection policy and work to make it better in the future.”
However, she admitted that it would not be easy for the SAQ, who would have to confirm the relay team for Paris with the World Swimming Federation before it could proceed with issuing the ‘B’ qualifying places.
“I guess there was no way they wouldn’t confirm my name because it had to be entered a long time ago,” Ke said.
However, she agreed that the confirmation did not have to be binding and that the document could be worded to indicate that her participation was conditional.
“There should also be transparency and communication between the athletes and management so that we can have a better understanding of what is happening rather than being informed at the last minute,” she said.
Ke expressed concern that the incident would undermine the trust of future national swimmers.
“To give them confidence in the system, to know that they can qualify for something with their ability, that they can put their name down, sign something and make sure they have the spot in the team that they deserve.”
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