Olympic Association expresses disappointment in Rosset and Schnyder
The Swiss Olympic Association has expressed its anger at the late withdrawals of the tennis players, Marc Rosset and Patty Schnyder, from the Sydney Games.
“We are very disappointed by this behaviour,” said Hansjörg Wirz, head of the association’s mission in Sydney. He said it damaged efforts made to present a positive image of Switzerland.
Wirz said the withdrawal of two out of five tennis players selected for the games was an intolerable situation. He said the association would have to consider how to handle such a situation in future.
Wirz said the Olympic Association expected selected sports people to take the games seriously, even if, as in tennis, they do not have the same importance as other events during the year.
Switzerland’s top men’s player, Marc Rosset, announced on Tuesday he would not be travelling to Australia because of “extreme physical and mental exhaustion”. However, his withdrawal came one day after the final deadline to send a replacement.
The number two in Swiss women’s tennis, Patty Schnyder, pulled out of the Olympics last week.
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