Canoeing: 'Fouhy principle' out

Ben Fouhy. Photo / Kenny Rodger.

Canoeing's controversial 'Ben Fouhy principle' is no more. The exception which allowed Fouhy to race in Europe without trials has been withdrawn.

Axed coaches Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald and fellow former Olympic gold medallist and Canoe Racing NZ board member Alan Thompson had threatened to take CRNZ to the Sports Dispute Tribunal over the matter.

"Our lawyer said that we would win the case hands down," said Thompson. "It looks like they have realised that and decided not to go ahead with it."

CRNZ did not renew Ferguson's and MacDonald's contracts.The two spoke out against what they considered a campaign to oust them by CRNZ's Sparc-appointed executive.

The Fouhy saga was a backdrop to that - he had a highly public spat with Ferguson and walked away from the sport before striking a deal with Sparc and CRNZ to compete at the world championships this year - but trained apart from Ferguson and MacDonald and the rest of the canoeing team.

That was supposed to be a one-off but then came news Fouhy would gain automatic entry to Europe next year.

"We did not believe that was fair," said Thompson. "There are other paddlers who deserve the chance to contest those spots and they're not getting it."

That view was reinforced when Ferguson's son, Steven, played a starring role in the second national regatta at Blue Lake - winning the K1 200m and beating Fouhy in the K1 1000m, and K2 1000m with Darryl Fitzgerald.

CRNZ CEO Paula Kearns said the Fouhy clause was simply not necessary any more.

"Circumstances have changed, Ben is back training with the national squad and that's all there was to it."

The Weekend Herald, using documents obtained under the Official Information Act, reported that a "damning" review led to Ferguson's and MacDonald's axing.

Half the athletes said the coaches had not helped their performance and the review revealed poor training programmes and infighting.

In their new policy, CRNZ have stipulated that anyone selected for the national squad must train with it, unless otherwise permitted by high performance manager Wayne Maher.

Ian Ferguson last week said he would not share the coaching techniques that had prompted Steven's success as they were deemed not good enough by Maher and CRNZ when Ferguson lost his job.

Kearns said: "Steven Ferguson is still a member of the national squad. He has a personal coach [his father] and we recognise that and he will take part in the same processes and will come into camp like everyone else."