British Fencing want to put Cook selection row behind them

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UPDATED:

21:50 GMT, 12 June 2012

British Fencing maintain it is time to put selection rows behind them as focus turns towards delivering a successful Olympics performance.

Scottish fencer Keith Cook appealed against his exclusion from the squad on Monday for London 2012 – claiming British Fencing had failed to follow their written Olympic selection policy and procedures.

The final three places will be announced today so Britain can compete in the men's and women's team foil competitions at the ExCeL Arena.

Not going: Keith Cook did not make the fencing squad

There was some controversy surrounding the individual squad announcement at the start of June.

Sophie Williams and Louise Bond-Williams have been selected for the women's sabre, despite the fact Joanna Hutchison and Chrystall Nicoll are both ranked higher.
Only two of the seven actually qualified – Richard Kruse and Polish-born Natalia Shepherd in the foil – while the other five have been awarded Host Nation spots.

Williams and Bond-Williams are joined by foilist James Davis, Corinna Lawrence in the women's epee and James Honeybone in the men's sabre.

No British fencer has won an Olympic medal since 1964, but Kruse, 28, reached the quarter-finals in Beijing eight years ago and has been ranked as high as fifth in the world.

British Fencing communication director David King said: “We have made what we think are the best decisions, both for 2012 and 2016.

'We have a good squad and it is time for everyone to get behind them and let's go forward.'

Former European silver medallist Laurence Halsted, the son of two Olympic fencers, is expected to make the foil team, with Martina Emanuel and Anna Bentley also candidates for the discretionary places in the women's squad.

The ones who are going: British Olympic Association announce the remaining fencing athletes selected for Team GB

However, Cook – the 2010 British champion and five-time Commonwealth Games medallist – has missed out.

The 31-year-old, who opted out of British Fencing's 'Olympic Pathway' two years ago for family reasons, was told in correspondence from British Fencing officials that while he was included in general discussions for selection, because performance manager Alex Newton had not been given contact details, as set out in Section 13 of the selection policy document, he was not informed that he had not been selected and the deadline for any appeal was passed.

Chief executive Piers Martin explained in an email to Cook that because the Section 13 information was not received British Fencing 'did not consider that you wanted to be considered for selection'.

Cook, ranked 95 in the world and still in the British top six having battled against recent injury, believes proper procedure was not followed.

'I e-mailed the performance manager and asked to be let known what was going on because I had not received any information,' Cook said.

'I got one back saying it was to do with not giving your e-mail address and phone number – and I said 'you must be joking'.

'I have had constant e-mails, text messages and phone calls from the performance manager, I was part of the team who have been there for six years. They have got my phone number.

'I said 'no way are you going to do it on a technicality like that'.'

Cook added: 'Basically they have broken their own process. 'I can't argue about who they have picked because it is discretionary places, but they did not give me a chance and did not follow the process of Olympic selection.'