Months after the IWSF Racing Council dictated that Chris Stout, Peter Procter and Darren Kirkland could not ski with the teams of their choice at the 2009 World Water Ski Racing Championships (if selected for their national teams), international pressure has resulted in an about-turn for Britain’s Darren Kirkland.
Kirkland – Kees – Lamot. Photo by Wim Lamot
Kirkland will now be permitted to compete with his all-Belgium team of Philip Lamot and Walter Kees at the Worlds in Belgium. Meanwhile, the likes of Stout and Procter remain under the IWSF Racing Council rod of iron.
This is terrific news for at least one world class athlete, but others will still be forced to compete under the constrained conditions dictated by ski racing politics.
It’s a shame that our best teams are subject to such inconsistency and concern, and that so much energy has to be spent by so many, to rectify the the mess that a handful of people have caused.
