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Australia kicks out D'Arcy

NICK D'Arcy has been booted off the Australian team for the world championships in Rome, less than two weeks after receiving a suspended sentence for assaulting Commonwealth Games champion Simon Cowley.

D'Arcy, 21, was handed a 14-month suspended sentence by a Sydney court after pleading guilty on a charge of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm on Cowley during a brawl last year.

D'Arcy, who was kicked off the team for the Beijing Olympics last year in the wake of the incident, had been selected for the worlds days before his court case last month.

Swimming Australia (SA), however, had decided to remove D'Arcy at a board meeting on Monday, the sport's national governing body said in a statement.

"Following Nicholas D'Arcy's conviction, the Board of Swimming Australia unanimously resolved that (his) membership of the Australian Swim Team to compete in Rome at the 2009 FINA World Championships be terminated immediately," the statement said.

D'Arcy had agreed to be bound by the national governing body's "Team By-laws" three days before his court case, the statement said.

D'Arcy's coach, Brian Stehr, slammed the decision and said he would not be surprised if the young swimmer retired.

"It's gone too far - it is ridiculous," Stehr said.

"It goes above and beyond what most decent people think is reasonable punishment ... I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to give away the sport now.

"Nick was always going to be convicted because he pleaded guilty. Why did they allow him to be selected on the team only to take it away from him again - it just amazes me."





 

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