Bureaucratic Bungling Sinks The Eel's Dream

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday August 7, 2004

Alex Brown

A devastated Eric "The Eel" Moussambani learnt last night his Olympic dream had been crushed after an application glitch rendered the iconic swimmer ineligible to compete in Athens.

Just moments after leaving the Equatorial Guinea Olympic Committee's offices in Malabo, Moussambani told the Herald an error in the accreditation process would prevent him from participating at a second consecutive games.

Previously, the 26-year-old freestyler had been informed the accreditation process stalled after local officials were unable to locate his passport photo. And despite claiming to have shaved 55 seconds off his Sydney Olympics time for the 100 metres - one minute 52.72 seconds to under 57s today - the much-loved swimmer from the 2000 Olympics is now contemplating retirement.

"I don't know what to do, there is disappointment now," Moussambani said. "[Equatorial Guinea officials] told me I have to come back to my country [from training in Spain] so I can go with the other athletes to Athens. Now they say I can't go. It cost me a lot of money to fly from here to Spain."

Moussambani attracted international focus in 2000 when, as a wildcard entrant into the Olympics, he flailed and sputtered his way to last in the 100m heats - in a time eight seconds slower than Australian Ian Thorpe's effort over 200m.

Moussambani took up swimming just nine months before the Sydney games - in a nation with just two pools.

Swimwear company Speedo promptly sponsored Equatorial Guinea's first international swimmer and, over the next 12 months, Moussambani was flown around Europe doing interviews and launching products. But as the Sydney Olympics faded from public memory, so did Eric.

Now with little money, no sponsors and precious few media requests, The Eel had hoped an improved performance in Athens would reignite his career, possibly providing him with an avenue to pursue his dream of studying engineering in Florida.

Then came word of the passport photo fiasco. A dream was dashed.

"I would like to continue swimming, but I don't know if I can right now," he said. "People wanted to see me back. People wanted to see me in Athens."

They just might get the opportunity. Last night, Moussambani got a call from Speedo in London, asking if he would attend Athens to do promotional work.

"Maybe on Monday I will go to Athens for one week just to watch," he said. "They just called me. I would like to do some media work there."

Attention: Channel Seven.