Taylor Appeal Upheld

NZOC Media Statement
6 July 2012

Taylor Appeal Upheld

An appeal was upheld in the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand overnight paving the way for the selection of 50m prone rifle shooter Ryan Taylor to the New Zealand Olympic Team.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee actively supported the appeal as a correct outcome to its comprehensive assessment of Mr Taylor being able to meet the performance criteria for selection.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee also confirmed to the Tribunal that it would actively seek the reallocation of the quota spot to Mr Taylor for his discipline, if the appeal was allowed.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee will now seek, with the support of New Zealand Shooting, the reallocation of a shooting quota spot from women’s trap to men’s 50m prone rifle. Upon reallocation Mr Taylor’s selection to the London Olympic Team will be confirmed.

The decision to support the appeal was made after New Zealand Olympic Committee selectors sought and analysed information additional to that originally supplied by Shooting New Zealand in relation to Mr Taylor’s rankings and performance in the Olympic field. This work by the selectors was undertaken following indications the information initially supplied was insufficient and contained some errors.

New Zealand Shooting also corrected and clarified information previously supplied to the New Zealand Olympic Committee, after the appeal was in train.

As a result, the New Zealand Olympic Committee Selectors had revoked the previous decision and decided there was sufficient evidence to indicate Mr Taylor could finish within the top 16 at the Olympic Games.

The selectors sympathise with women’s trap shooter Natalie Rooney to whom the quota spot had previously been allocated, when Mr Taylor’s nomination was not initially successful. She had been nominated for selection to the New Zealand Olympic Team and had been advised her nomination was successful. The selectors acknowledge the young athlete’s disappointment.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee reiterates its commitment to an evidence-based selection process and underscores the importance of the athletes’ right of appeal. The appeal process, while available to athletes’, is very rarely used due to the robust nature of New Zealand Olympic Committee selection criteria and processes.

Notes to editor:

BACKGROUND AND PROCESS

A. ISSUE
An appeal by 50m prone rifle shooter Ryan Taylor was heard by the Sports Tribunal on 5 July regarding the transfer of a quota spot and resulting non-selection to the New Zealand Olympic Team.

B. BACKGROUND
The New Zealand Olympic Committee pursues an evidence-based selection process.
A single shooting quota spot had been won for New Zealand in Women’s Air Rifle AR40 in 2011.
The athlete that qualified this spot, however, did not meet the selection criteria agreed between Shooting New Zealand and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
In order to be able to select a shooter to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games, the quota spot then needed to be transferred to an athlete that did meet the criteria. The priority would be for the spot to be reallocated within the same discipline, ie rifle, if possible.
The quota spot was not transferred within rifle.
This decision was made as the New Zealand Olympic Committee did not consider men’s 50m prone rifle shooter, Ryan Taylor, had met the selection criteria and would not be eligible to compete at the London Olympic Games. This decision was based on the evidence supplied to the New Zealand Olympic Committee by Shooting New Zealand.
It was therefore transferred to women’s trap and a nomination for Natalie Rooney was submitted to the New Zealand Olympic Committee by Shooting New Zealand.
The decision to appeal by Mr Taylor was notified to the New Zealand Olympic Committee. A meeting with Mr Taylor was requested and held.

C. NZOC POSITION
As a result of the notice of appeal, the New Zealand Olympic Committee selectors sought and analysed a considerable amount of additional information.
The selectors also asked New Zealand Shooting to correct and clarify information previously supplied to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
This additional information combined with the corrections and clarifications from New Zealand Shooting provided a comprehensive overview of the situation.
As a result, the New Zealand Olympic Committee believes there is sufficient evidence to indicate Mr Taylor could finish within the top 16 at the Olympic Games and, as such, would have been eligible to have the quota spot transferred to his discipline, rather than Miss Rooney’s.
This information was submitted, in full, to the Sports Tribunal. The appeal was supported.
Comparisons between the two shooters’ results were not considered.

D. The results of the Sports Tribunal Hearing
Appeal upheld.

E. Next steps
Applications by the New Zealand Olympic Committee and New Zealand Shooting will be made to the International Shooting Federation to re-allocate the quota spot from women’s trap to men’s 50m prone rifle.
If this application is successful, New Zealand Olympic Committee will nominate Mr Taylor for selection to the New Zealand Olympic Team.

ENDS

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