CUPE opts not to picket Saanich Commonwealth Pool; injury limits Despatie's competition

Cleve Dheensaw

If world champion diver Alexandre Despatie of Laval was a hockey player, he would have one of those ridiculously cryptic "upper body injuries.''

In diving, it's simply a hurt shoulder and it was the big story of the Canada Cup meet Friday.

But the Despatie storyline would have been upstaged if CUPE had picketed Saanich Commonwealth Place, as it did several other Greater Victoria recreation centres Friday in the escalating labour action against the provincial government. That would have jeopardized the Canada Cup meet, which features many of the divers favoured to medal at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. CUPE apparently decided not to picket Saanich Commonwealth Place to allow the international diving meet to proceed.

"It was very considerate to allow this big international meet to go on as scheduled," said Ann Carmichael, aquatic programmer for Saanich Commonwealth Place and herself a CUPE member.

Carmichael admits the meet was facing possible disruption and that she really didn't know what to expect before the divers arrived for Friday's competition.

"I was very concerned,'' she said. "Having the Canada Cup disrupted was a question we faced Thursday night. But we're thrilled to have the meet proceed."

It is unlikely unionized CBC crew members would have crossed a CUPE picket line. CBC is here to tape the Canada Cup to broadcast on Sports Saturday over three consecutive Saturdays, beginning next weekend.

"Bravo and good for CUPE for not picketing Commonwealth Place -- that's using their heads," said CBC announcer and Esquimalt-grad Steve Armitage, here to do the Canada Cup call on tape delay.

"When you invite the world, you do so with some obligation," added Armitage, who flew into Victoria after working the Flames-Red Wings NHL playoff game Thursday night in Calgary, and who will do the splash-by-splash aquatics call for CBC at the Athens Summer Games.

"I don't think the Chinese, Aussie, American and other competitors from around the world would have appreciated coming all this way and not being able to compete in a big World Cup event. It certainly would have been a black eye."

There are divers and officials from 12 nations competing in the Canada Cup, a major pre-Athens showcase.

"We'll wait and see what tomorrow brings but I'm fairly confident Commonwealth Place won't be picketed . . . and that's specifically to allow the Canada Cup to go ahead as scheduled through Sunday," said Carmichael.

Despatie, one of Canada's greatest gold-medal hopes for the Athens Olympics, dropped out of the men's 10-metre preliminaries Friday but will compete in today's three-metre event because there's less impact on his shoulder with the shorter jump.

"There's maybe a ligament inhibiting his movement in the 10 metres but he's OK... it's just us and Alex being careful because we're in no position to be taking chances (with Athens nearing)," said Team Canada head coach Mitch Geller.

Despatie's decision to sit out the 10 metres denies the meet a marquee match-up that would have pitted the defending world champion Despatie against the defending 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics champion Tian Liang of China.

Bo Peng and Kenan Wang of China won the men's three-metre synchronized gold Friday with 340.68 points while world champion Robert Newberry and partner Steve Barnett of Australia were second (331.53) and Erick Fornaris and Jorge Betancourt of Cuba third (331.44). Canadians Reuben Ross and Eric Sehn were sixth at 382.72.

Lishi Lao and Ting Li of China splashed to victory in the women's 10-metre final with 324.66 points. Loudy Tourky, Commonwealth Games champion and Olympic medallist, and Lynda Dackiw of Australia were second at 296.97. Americans Kimiko Hirai Soldati and Sydney Olympics 10-metre gold-medallist Laura Wilkinson were third with 296.82 points.

Every world champion in every diving event is appearing in the Canada Cup, including Emilie Heymans and Olympic champions such as Liang, Wilkinson and Russians Yulia Pakhalina and Vera Ilyina.

Jenna Dreyer of Victoria Boardworks, who will represent her native South Africa in Athens, has advanced to both the women's three- and 10-metre semifinals.

If CUPE's international diving diplomacy extends through the weekend, the spinning and splashing continues today and Sunday at 10 a.m. and runs to the final event each day at 4:15.

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