And who can blame them? Treacy and Shanks, who have stretched a campaign over eight years, are the top-ranking Irish boat and did the job of qualifying Ireland at the World Championships in Miami last month, where they also finished top Irish boat.
OLeary and Milne, meanwhile, have put in just four events in the Star, but captured the imagination of selectors with a race win in Miami, and the fact that had they not broken a mast they would have counted three top five results and finished in the top ten. Their rise has been meteoric, dramatic and they are young, fresh faces, with results to match and seemingly unlimited potential.
None of this is any consolation to Treacy and Shanks, of course, who put in the hard work that earned Ireland a seat on the plane to China, and who now, understandably, want to see their names on the golden ticket.
A statement from the pair lays out the facts of the matter as they see them, and also expresses their exasperation at the ISAs decision:
Without reflecting on any other sailors, Anthony and I won outright on the water, we alone qualified the country, we are the highest placed Irish Star sailors in the World Rankings, we won the nominated events by an indisputable margin, we were 4th in the Grade 1 Spring Europeans last year against virtually all of the current nominated countries for the 2008 Olympics, we are the only Irish sailing team this year across all classes to have attained the status of 'World Class Athletes' with the Irish Sports Council.
This is a very controversial decision by the ISA and we are going to appeal it because we truly believe that our record stands for itself. We are still in shock and cannot believe that the ISA could make this decision.
As Afloat previously reported, after the worlds, the Irish coaches would have read and re-read the ISAs nomination tightly-worded nomination document (here) which effectively gives the Olympic Steering Group carte blanche to define in its own terms who it thinks it should send to the Olympics, based loosely on who they see as having the most potential to succeed in the particular conditions they are likely to face in Qingdao.
For Treacy, who grew up under the watchful eyes of the Irish Dragon Class the unanimous decision will be hard not to take personally. Three Dragon alums (and two fellow Royal St George clubmates) sit onthe OSG panel that rejected him.
OSG chairman Colm Barrington, himself a Dragon sailor, said in an ISA statement: "The three crews in contention for the place demonstrated enormous skill and great determination in their campaigns. While it is very disappointing for the 2 crews who miss out, the OSG unanimously selected O'Leary & Milne. They have demonstrated that they have the best chance of success in the Olympic regatta in 2008".
The ISAs High Performance director, James OCallaghan, recommended OLeary & Milne to the OSG, and added: "Obviously we were delighted with the performances of all three crews throughout the campaign. They all knew the selection process in advance and the competition between them drove them all to strong performances."
That last statement, that the crews were well aware of the criteria, could be a nail in the coffin of Treacys appeal. The nomination document was carefully drafted and the ISA is confident that it is watertight and will stand up to an appeal.
What can be guaranteed is that the spectre of an appeal will make this the most controversial selection process for some time. And beyond Treacys appeal, other facts are coming to light in the UK.
The Telegraph turned the spotlight on OLeary and Milne in recent days, pointing out that their boat, owned by British star sailor Iain Percy, could be recalled by its owner as he grapples with damage to his other boats. The boat is on its way to China in a container.
The Telegraph also asserts that Ballyholme-based Milne, OLearys crew, currently holds a British passport and not an Irish one, and gleefully adds that OLeary himself is of good British racing stock. His grandfather, Robin Aisher, won bronze for Britain in 1968. (Link here)
Treacys dogged tenacity and willingness to appeal sailing decisions to higher authorities means the ISA may have to sweat this one out for some time. They may also find themselves answering some sneering questions from outsiders who delight in picking holes in what is already seen as an elitist, clique-ridden sport. If theres no such thing as bad publicity, this could be Irish sailings most high-profile Olympic foray yet.
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