Nick Kyrgios won’t play in Rio, rips Australian Olympic committee
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Nick Kyrgios has decided not to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games, he announced Thursday in a statement on his website.
“Representing Australia at the Olympic Games has been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Kyrgios wrote. “Playing in the Olympics was a goal this year; I planned my tournament schedule around Rio and made sure to fulfill my Olympic eligibility. Unfortunately, while I have expressed every intention of trying to win a medal for my country in Rio, it’s very clear to me that the Australian Olympic Committee has other plans.”
Kyrgios has been at odds in the past with Australia’s chef de mission Kitty Chiller, who has expressed trepidation over selecting him for the team because of his occasionally volatile on-court behavior.
“AOC’s unfair and unjust treatment of me over the last four weeks, as well as the organization’s crystal clear position on whether they want me to be a part of the Australian Olympic team, has solidified my final decision.”
Kyrgios said he was assured by the Australian tennis federation, Tennis Australia, that he would be nominated for the games, but that the Olympic committee “has chosen to publicly and privately disparage me.”
“Not one member of the AOC has reached out to me, my family, my team, or representatives of Tennis Australia, asking for a meeting or the opportunity to discuss their concerns,” he wrote. “The AOC’s unwarranted attacks on me demonstrate the organization’s inability to understand the circumstances surrounding highly competitive sports. I also don’t want the AOC’s treatment of me to become a distraction and negatively affect the Australian Olympic team.”
Kyrgios said he hoped to be a part of the Olympic team four years from now.
