Gymnast loses Commonwealth Games court case

RHYTHMIC gymnast Shannon Gardiner lost her court bid to be included in the Commonwealth Games team yesterday‚ but vowed she was still determined to achieve her dream of making the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Pretoria High Court Judge Elizabeth Kubushi ruled in favour of the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc)‚ ruling the body had exercised its discretion rationally when it came to the team selection.

“I hold that the procedure followed by Sascoc was procedurally fair,” she said.

Gardiner’s case fell down on the fact that she missed last year’s world championships which carried weight for selection.

She had been unable to compete at one of the two trials because of injury‚ but the judge ruled that her argument on this basis had no merit.

“Fact is Ms Gardiner had not competed in a world championship by December 2017,” the judge said.

“What was required were her results‚ if any‚ in a world championship and she had none to show.

“Since she could not produce same‚ there was no way in which Sascoc could have considered her.”

A disappointed Gardiner said she was training hard for the African championships in Egypt next month as she continues to keep her Olympic dream alive.

“Even though this is one of the most heart-breaking moments in my life‚ this is my passion,” she said.