Entry Form Miscue Bumps U.S. Skater
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Derek Parra, a former in-line skater from San Bernardino, never expected a medal in the 5,000 meters. All he hoped for was a chance to race.
But only a few hours after the Olympic flame was lighted, his games were over because of a dispute over how to fill out an entry form.
The U.S. team, infuriated that Parra won’t be skating, claims the International Speedskating Union allowed Kazakhstan to change its application form after the entry deadline had passed.
An ISU official said Kazakhstan unintentionally entered its skaters as substitutes--meaning they could only replace their countrymen instead of taking open spots based on World Cup times.
Once the mistake was caught, Parra was bumped and replaced by Sergei Kaznacheyev, who ranked three spots ahead.
“There is no way to say the U.S. did it wrong and Kazakhstan did it right, or the other way around,” said Tron Espeli of the ISU.
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