Richard Carapaz Potentially Excluded from Paris Olympics Due to Selection Dispute
There’s a good chance the reigning Olympic champion won’t be in the road race in Paris this year. Richard Carapaz may have won the Gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but his countryman Jhonatan Narváez appears to be the rider representing Ecuador this summer. And the situation is getting heated.
Both riders are incredibly talented and have results that make them Olympic hopefuls. Carapaz has actually won the Olympic road race and the Giro d’Italia overall in 2019. This year, he pulled off a stage win at the Tour of Romandie.
Meanwhile, Narváez has made headlines in recent weeks after taking the win in the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia and second on Stage 12. Carapaz lost the Ecuador Road Nationals race to Narváez.
The issue with the selection, Carapaz argues, is Ecuador’s lack of transparency in its selection guidelines and the late delivery of those guidelines to the Olympic hopefuls. The current selection criteria released in March uses points collected in races from January 1 to May 21 (yesterday) rather than the usual rolling 12-month basis. On a rolling 12-month basis, Carapaz has the lead. But by this new selection criteria, Narváez is well ahead.
On Monday, Carapaz shared a statement on Instagram regarding the selection:
In his statement, he pointed to “my suspicions about the lack of transparency and fairness in the [selection] process.”
He argues that the new points/selection strategy wasn’t published until March, leaving riders with little time to commit to new plans. “I want to make it clear that I have never opposed the creation of a regulation for the selection process,” he added. “However, the regulations created by the FEC [Ecuador’s cycling governing body] are clearly biased and lack the fundamental principles of sports justice and equity.”
“It is evident that the regulations created by the FEC only have criteria that favor my compatriot, leaving aside any objective and fair consideration,” he wrote. He added that the date of the selection criteria—which came out in March—was suspicious. “This [the selection criteria] should have been issued at the end of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games or at the end of last season when all athletes started with zero points and could plan our season equitably. However, its publication in an improvised manner and without room for maneuver seems to be designed to keep me out of Paris and exempt the president of the FEC from any responsibility.”
“I want to emphasize that, apart from being the current Olympic Champion, I am, by far, the Ecuadorian cyclist who has contributed the most points to achieve the Olympic quota. This contribution reinforces my right to a fair and transparent selection process, as does any Ecuadorian cyclist who has achieved said merit,” he concluded.
Narváez also took to Instagram to share his thoughts:
“It is deeply regrettable that representing our country at the Olympics, an occasion of honor and pride becomes a source of conflict,” he wrote. “It is painful to watch how controversies obscure the sport we love so much, diverting our attention from what is truly important: performance, dedication, and pride in representing our nation.”
“I want to express my surprise and disappointment at seeing how colleagues are attacked within the sport, a behavior that is foreign to me and contrary to my principles. I am firmly committed to integrity, respect and camaraderie, values that are the pillars of my career. My focus has always been to promote a positive and constructive sporting environment; I will never resort to destructive criticism or confrontation.”
He added that “interference in decisions and lack of objectivity and ethics on the part of authorities have no place in this scenario.”
At the moment, Ecuador’s Ministry of Sport appears to have launched an investigation into the selection process and requested a delay in the final selection. According to GCN, the Ministry of Sport stated the ‘need to abide by the law and by the principles of fairness and equality set out in the codes of conduct for sporting bodies.’
Of course, Ecuador isn’t alone in the selection struggle. While it may seem relatively simple from the outside, most countries go through lengthy selection processes and arbitrations during every Olympic cycle. Sometimes, the arbitrations are public and vicious, as this one appears to be shaping up. (“Olympics bring out the best in people. Selection brings out the worst,” an Olympic cycling once told me.)
But more often, these arbitrations and legal disputes are simply matters of form. An Olympic mountain biker, speaking in anonymity, once explained that another rider from his country rolled up to him during a pre-ride after selections had been made and casually informed him that he was filing an appeal. “It wasn’t about me,” the Olympian later said. “It was just the process. He wasn’t being vindictive; it’s just what you do.”
The following week marks a significant Olympic moment for many countries for those who follow mountain biking. With the Nove Mesto World Cup this weekend, it’s the last chance for many Olympic hopefuls to secure their spots. In the U.S., this is a particularly contentious year since several top-tier women and men are close to qualifying.
Getting to the Olympics, it seems, can be just as hard as coming home with the Gold.
Note: Statements from Carapaz and Narváez have been translated.
You Might Also Like
