The 2000 class of the Oxford International School has always been, and will always be, considered a “Dirty Dozen” grade of ragtag troublemakers. Kids who weren’t about making the high marks and getting the awards more so than getting things done, under their own terms. They never played favorites, and they excelled in shaking up the status quo. Therefore, hearing about the controversy with Ismael Ortíz and Panama’s National Sports Institute INDE (Instituto Nacional de Deporte) is not at all surprising. In fact, I’d be a little disappointed if a fellow former classmate hadn’t caused a big stir when it’s something as important as the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Ismael, or “The Ish” as he’s commonly known as in Drury University, made the minimum qualifying time of 23.00 seconds in Men’s 50m Freestyle at the Coppa Italia celebrated on mid-July in Chile. The minimum qualifying time requested by the International Swimming Federation FINA (Federación Internacional de Natación) is of 23:13 seconds as B Mark, so he should be well and clear to represent Panama in the 50m Freestyle competition in Beijing. So, what’s the problem? The Panamanian Olympic Comittee is being a silly bitch, that’s what.

This is not the first time Ismael has had red tape to swim through with the Olympic Committee. He made it to the 2004 Olympics and did one hell of a job there, and he made it there with sweat and tears. Now, I don’t know about what he had to do or sacrifice in order to make it there because, as unfortunate as it is, my rapport with many of my high school friends has been scattershot at best. I still think about them and hold them close to the chest, but c’est la vie. Anyway, what I can talk to you about it the myriad of problems Panama’s olympians have always faced to make it to the world’s greatest sports event. Let me start right off the bat by saying that the INDE and the Olympic Buffoon Committee (from now on referred to as OBC) often don’t help the athletes in terms of training facilities or money to help them go to where they’re supposed to compete. I’m pretty confident in saying that Ismael, as well as the rest of the 2004 Greece Olympic Games’ Panama delegation paid their own plane rides, meals and hotel accommodations during their stay in Athens. That, dear reader, is a disgrace to the governing bodies of sports in this silly country of ours. But I digress: since his performance in Athens, Ish has had a fisticuffs or two with the lumbering idiots that are in charge of taking care of our athletes. In his own words:

“For the Pan-American [Games] that just passed I got passed over, I found out I wasn’t going when I read the newspaper. How do you think one feels when your own country doesn’t even tell you that you’re not going?”

So now, Ismael wants to compete in Beijing, his last Olympic Games participation (as of press time, he’s 25) but the INDE and OBC are making it nigh-impossible for the lovable lug to go. I, quite frankly, don’t understand what their problem is. Actually, I lied. I think I know. It’s not like the committees need proof, because FINA itself recognized the time. And if they, for some God-forsaken reason haven’t cared to send them an e-mail, I humbly direct both you and their block-shaped asses to Exhibit A: the following video was taken from a cell phone the day that Ismael Ortiz swam to qualify for his passage to Beijing. It seems this is nowhere else, and the YouTube uploader is a fan of the guy. Please, try to ignore the Limp Bizkit soundtrack. Word on the Internet is that Chileans, for the most part, have bad taste in music. They also buy they sancocho in a can, which is a travesty:

The controversy, according to Panama’s own La Prensa newspaper, stems from the allegations that the competition you see above is not oficially recognized by the Panamanian federation. Furthermore, Ortiz himself doesn’t seem to be recoginzed as an official Panamanian athlete. Alright. Let us read that one more time: Ismael Ortiz, former Olympic athlete for Panama in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, is not recognized as an official Panamanian athlete. Oh, excuse me, OBC, could I get a side of fries with that bullshit you just served me? I’ll need some water as well, because this bullshit is fierce and leaves a sore aftertaste. Ok, thanks so much! The news piece continues to mention that Monday, July 21st is the day when they will untangle both Ismael’s case as well as the official roster of athletes going to Beijing this August, a list that includes Irving Saladino and Bayano Kamani in athleticism, Cristie Bodden in Swimming and Jessika Jimenez in Fencing. As an aside, If Ismael ends up deservedly going, the current slot taken by one Edgar Crespo will be given to Ortiz instead, and Crespo stays. Don’t cry for him, though: he’s young and has at least one more chance at the Olympics. Ismael? Sadly, not so much. The OBC has until Wednesday, July 23rd to send the official list to Beijing.

Looking up information on Ismael to have something concrete in terms of stats for you guys, I found some interesting stuff. In his Drury alumn profile, it seems he has an affinity for the arts (I knew this), but most specifically sculpting and fashion (did not know this). It’s very comforting to see how he hasn’t changed much either physically or spiritually given that, as it is with most of us and the passage of time, priorities change, our body does too and drags our spirits down to new directions. Here’s a rather heartwarming student report on Ismael’s skills with metals… it goes without saying that people adore the guy:

Here are his career stats, and you can look him up on Facebook in your own damn time. I honestly don’t know what will be of Ismael’s tenure in Beijing (or if he’ll be able to go), but it’s great to see how people from not just Panama but other places throughout the continent are rooting for him. As it is, one of the upsides of being a ragtag troublemaker is that your popularity (as well as the slight degree of infamy that comes with it) is always well-earned. I really hope he makes it. He’s got a heart of gold and game to go with it while being rough around the edges from forging his path under his own terms. And just like many of us from that 2000 class, we don’t give a flying FUPA if you like us for it or not.

UPDATE: Ismael wasn’t allowed to go. He is frustrated and disappointed, but there’s not much else to say other than to put this matter to sleep and keep moving forward. The world? An unfair place like there’s never been one.

Tags: 2004 olympics, 2008 beijing olympics, 50m freestyle, buffoon, coppa italia, c est la vie, dirty dozen, drury university, freestyle competition, greatest sports, high school friends, instituto nacional de deporte, international swimming federation, Ismael Ortiz, obc, olympic comittee, oxford international, Panama, Pyro Pros, silly bitch, sports event, sports institute, sweat and tears, youtube

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