Some of you may be wondering why Ella Nicholas will have Cook Islands next to her name on the results sheet. Well here is the answer....
"An opportunity has arisen for Ella Nicholas to represent the Cook Islands at the World Championships for Canoe Slalom in Brazil in September. This has been in the pipeline for several months, but could not be confirmed earlier as the ICF had to affiliate the Cook Islands. This affiliation has now been provisionally approved and the Cook Islands has become member number 142 of the ICF.
Ella has dual nationality as her father is a Cook Islander who grew up there and came to NZ for schooling.
For Ella this means paddling for the Cook Islands at the Junior Pre Worlds, which in effect changes nothing for her as she is under the New Zealand team umbrella. Both the NZ and Australian Canoe Federations have a commitment to support developing nations in Oceania.
After much consideration Ella has decided to accept this offer that will not only benefit her paddling but will also add another country to the mix for the Oceania Continental Qualifying event for the Beijing Olympics."
2 comments:
kia orana, good one Ella, you can be a gooseberry for Bryden. Does that mean, Sue, you will have to give up your busy schedule to chaperone your baby? great opportunity, jealous- but not of the hard work you guys are putting in. 500 dead from heat in Hungary in the last week, pretty freaky, you may just have to drink the fizzy stuff, I know I would!!!
cheers, Greg
Hey Elles congrats and great to think that you can also be adding to Oceania and I suppose helping Bryden and Andrew out...
Must be an unusual feeling being the only Cook Island paddler? yes? You will go down in history!!!! Probbaly not just for your paddling knowing you..
Mad to think people are dying of heat exhaustion and just next door (or almost in good ole Blighty they are being flooded out of their homes...just showes how important water is to us and why the multinationals have tried to gain intellectual property rights across the globe...
Also that we should be doing a lot more everywhere to save our most precious resource.. I hope you guys are spitting out some of what you swallow!!!
Take care and counting down...
Cheers Caro
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