Jackson Roberts-Young v Australian Weightlifting Federation

The Applicant appealed his non-selection to the 2024 Australian Weightlifting Federation (AWF) Senior Team for the Oceania Championships to be held 23-25 February 2024. The application was lodged 10 January 2024 and heard 19 January 2024.

Selection for the event was made by AWF by following the 2024 Oceania Senior Championships Event Specific Criteria (Event Criteria). The Applicant contended that he was not afforded a fair and reasonable opportunity to meet the Event Criteria as they were published 19 weeks into a 26-week qualification. The previous minimum qualification total required for that level of event had been in effect for five years and was increased in the revised criteria by 7.7%.

The Respondent accepted that the Event Criteria were published in a manner which was untimely and unfair to the Applicant, and alsothat it was its expectation that the Applicant could easily satisfy the Event Criteria, and expected him to do so.

The Tribunal noted that the opportunity afforded to satisfy selection criteria depends on the complexity of the training and preparation required to meet the criteria for the particular sport, and that Weightlifting, like all sports, involves unique and staged training regimes, which are not amenable to expedited revision. The Tribunal found therefore that the Applicant was not given the requisite ‘reasonable opportunity’ to satisfy the criteria.

The Appeal was upheld and the original selection decision overturned. The NST referred any subsequent decision regarding the Appellant’s non-selection or if required, any broader decision regarding selection of the team for the event back to the AWF for reconsideration and redetermination.