The price is right for Craig Stevens


The price is right for Craig Stevens, by Matthew Benns - 25th April 2004
(Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)


The swimmer has a secret, but for $60,000 he is willing to share it with the world. Matthew Benns reports.

Tomorrow night swimmer Craig Stevens will pick up a cheque for $60,000 for making the announcement Australia has waited a month to hear.

He has already made his decision on whether or not to swim in the 400 metres freestyle event at the Athens Olympics and pre-recorded his reasons with Today Tonight reporter Anna Coren in Canberra on Friday.

Since Ian Thorpe toppled off the blocks and was disqualified from the event at the Australian Olympic trials exactly a month ago, the focus has turned from Stevens's decision to the money he will receive from Channel Seven for his announcement.

It has become an ethical and moral minefield for a young man who until a month ago did not even have a manager and survived on a $30,000 Australian Institute of Sport grant.

Stevens's new manager Robert Joske insists the announcement is not about money. The swimmer will be contracted to Channel Seven and is "taking an opportunity to enhance his work skills".

There is no denying the 23-year-old swimmer has become a hot media property.

"All the networks said, 'We don't care what his answer is, we just want to be the one that gets it'," Joske said.

Sources inside Channel Seven insist they did not know Stevens's decision until the cameras started to roll. They were quite prepared to pay the money - with a 12-month loyalty contract and some media training - no matter what he said.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates has no doubt what that decision is. "We don't begrudge him the money but we are aware that he had an agent out there offering the story to the TV networks. It is obvious that he is going to step aside for Ian."

While many in the AOC admire the way Stevens has handled himself, being paid for his announcement may have tarnished his public image. In the minds of sport fans, Stevens could be seen as the man who gave up his spot on the blocks for money. Thorpe is once again the favourite for the Olympics.

Ethics consultant Dr Simon Longstaff from the St James Ethics Centre believes Stevens will have reached his decision in accordance with the highest Olympic ideals.

"It is very hard to know what is in his mind. If it had been me I would have been asking myself, 'Is my position in the team something that has been secured through merit or is it the product of an accident? Is that the kind of windfall that I wish to take advantage of? Will I profit from something that happened to someone who is as honourable as I am?'

"That is the kind of thinking that is far more central to the ideals of the modern Olympic Games than thoughts of national medal tallies."

But once the decision was made, Longstaff believes Stevens made a mistake in taking cash to announce it.

"It is not especially unethical but it is possibly unwise because people are likely to jump to the least charitable interpretation of your motives.

"When he decided to do that it created in the minds of people the false impression that one of the principle influences in his decision making is money.

"It is a grave disservice to the true nature of his character."

Longstaff, however, said it was "a big ask" for Stevens to waive the fee.

"You are asking a young bloke to think through all this and give up $60,000 to manage perceptions about his character," he said. "There are a lot of people who take risks with their character for $5000."

Among Stevens's peers it is not the money that is the problem. Former champion swimmer Kieren Perkins said: "I don't see anything at all wrong with him taking the money. Everybody else in the country makes money from the situations they are in, so why shouldn't Craig Stevens?

"What I disagree with is that the announcement has been delayed so long. It's a decision he could have made weeks ago and I don't see why we all had to wait another two or three weeks for an announcement.

"They could have negotiated this deal two weeks ago and the focus could have been the decision, not the money he is being paid."

Joske explained: "Big decisions should not be rushed. The bigger the decision the more time the person should take in reconnaissance. The team congregates on May 2 and that's the time line we have been working on."

There was also a delay while the AOC checked with lawyers whether third placegetter at the trials, Josh Krogh, could step in. When that was ruled out, Stevens still had to make up his mind.

Joske said: "He is a very, very strong man mentally and physically. He has had a fair amount of decision making to do and we have told him to take his time and understand the repercussions of any decision he makes."

The pressure has been on from the moment Thorpe toppled into the pool.

Australian Swimming Inc media director Ian Hanson said: "I think it's unfair to suggest Craig has been hanging out for the money because it has been there right from the word go.

"We had six calls within an hour from the major magazine groups and television programs who were prepared to pay for the Craig Stevens story.

"I had to pass them all on to an interim manager because Craig still had two races to go and someone had to handle the calls. He has never had anything in his life and all this is totally new to him."

As soon as it happened, possibly with an eye on the ratings, Channel Seven boss David Leckie suggested to Coates that Thorpe be given a wild card. When that was ruled out he approached Macquarie Radio owner John Singleton to see if a financial deal could be put together. It finally ended up as a straight bidding war between Channel Seven and Channel Nine. Seven won.

Once the decision is announced tomorrow night, a call will be made to Australian Swimming Inc to inform the sport's organising body.

Hanson said: "I don't know if the phone call will come through before or after the program. It is a matter of courtesy informing our CEO, Glenn Tasker, who will then tell the national head coach Leigh Nugent.

"I am sure that Ian would want to talk to Craig and find out from the horse's mouth the reasons he does not want to swim. If he is satisfied with those reasons and wants to swim then he will talk to Leigh."

Nugent, Thorpe and his coach, Tracey Menzies, will then sit down to discuss Thorpe's Olympic schedule. If it gets to that stage, Hanson said: "I am pretty sure that Ian's name will be down for the 400 metre freestyle when the final entries go into the International Olympic Committee on July 9."

Thorpe's manager, David Flaskas, said: "Ian has never wavered. Ian would only consider doing it if he was convinced that Craig wasn't pressed into giving it up. Publicly and privately he has told Craig he will support him whatever the decision."

He said Thorpe would not be appearing on the TV program with Stevens and at the end of last week still did not know if Stevens was swimming. "I have no idea what the decision is; they are playing their cards very close to their chest. No doubt we may hear something before it is announced."

He did not begrudge Stevens the money.

"After what he had to endure I wouldn't begrudge him a million dollars. He survives on a pretty small scholarship and it's also a great career opportunity," he said. "It has been tough on two really decent young guys. They are really, really close mates and they would both like to put a line under this and get on with it."

The swimmers get together on the Gold Coast next Sunday for an Olympic orientation camp and to put the "Oops" fiasco behind them. Later in the month, 13 of the squad, including Thorpe and Stevens, will fly to Flagstaff in Arizona for altitude training.

Hanson said: "The spirit on any Australian team is extraordinary and none more so than the swimming team. This has distracted us."

Links:

Media websites

The Sydney Morning Herald

Channel Seven

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Australian Institute of Sport

International Olympic Committee

AOC

Australian Swimming Inc

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