According to Australia’s the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Nick D’Arcy’s chance at an Olympic medal is in serious jeopardy after he filed for bankruptcy earlier this week. An Australian court will now decide if he will be allowed to leave the country and travel to the Olympic Games in London.
This would be the second expulsion from an Olympic Team stemming from a 2008 assault against former Australian Commonwealth Games triple champion Simon Cowley. D’Arcy allegedly hit Cowley after the pair exchanged words (and possibly a tap on the face from Cowley to D’Arcy while telling him to settle down). Cowley suffered severe facial injuries from the impact that he is still having surgeries to recover from.
After that attack, D’Arcy was removed from the Australian Olympic Team and later from the 2009 World Championships squad. He was sentenced to just over 14 months in jail, though that was suspended on the grounds of good behavior. Earlier this year, Cowley sued D’Arcy in civil court and received a $180,000 settlement (though it could have been as much as three-quarters of a million).
By filing for bankruptcy, D’Arcy can avoid paying on that settlement. The possible outlaw on D’Arcy’s travel overseas can be imposed on anyone who files for bankruptcy in Australia, not just on special circumstances. The Australian Olympic Committee still has to decide if they even would allow D’Arcy to represent the nation on international sport’s biggest stage, and then he has to actually qualify.
D’Arcy also missed this year’s World Championships, because of concerns about his liver function prior to the World Championship Trials. At the Santa Clara Grand Prix, however, he became one of the few men in history to beat and adult Michael Phelps in a 200 fly. That, combined with his silver at the 2010 Pan Pacific Games gives him a bit of a mental advantage in the race, though with how Phelps is training right now it’s unlikely that anybody is going to be able to beat him in London.
Still, if D’Arcy were to be disqualified, it would remove one more contender for a Phelps three-pear.
Still, D’Arcy probably would be a strong medal candidate in the event.