The first woman to slam dunk at the Olympics (in London, 2012) has been slammed this week for going to a music festival instead of a training camp.
Liz Cambage, the 23-year old Opals star, has been dropped from the Rio Olympics qualifiers by Basketball Australia, after she chose to attend all three days of Splendour in the Grass this weekend and missed the first day of training camp on Sunday.
The 16-member Opals squad were told that Cambage had opted to attend Splendour and not come to camp until Monday, after which Basketball Australia released a short statement saying the two-metre tall centre would miss selection for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers.
Team mate Rachel Jarry told Fairfax:
“It doesn’t fit in with the culture we are building – you can’t choose a music festival over a camp. She is letting her teammates down and I just wish she could have been a part of these games but it’s not to be. Liz is a good friend of mine and I’d love her to be part of it but the team has to come first.”
Cambage has spent the better part of a year recovering from an achilles injury, and has reportedly signed a $1-million-plus deal to play in China next season, as well as lucrative sponsorship deals with Swisse and Nike. She told the Herald Sun she was trying to smooth things over with Basketball Australia, and would consider legal action if the governing body refused to overturn it’s decision.
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