6 Olympic swimmers had to be sent home after an 'absurd' admin error led to them accidentally being taken to Tokyo
- Six Polish swimmers had to be sent home from the Tokyo Olympics because of an admin error.
- Poland had accidentally named 23 swimmers in its squad - six more than allowed.
- "I hope to wake up from this nightmare eventually," one swimmer said.
The Olympic dreams of six Polish swimmers have been left in ruins after an administrative error resulted in their being sent home from Tokyo.
Alicja Tchorz, Bartosz Piszczorowicz, Aleksandra Polanska, Mateusz Chowaniec, Dominika Kossakowska, and Jan Holub had all been named as relay-only swimmers in Poland's 23-strong team for the Games.
But upon arrival to Japan, they were almost immediately sent home.
A statement from the Polish Swimming Federation (PZP) stated that an error had resulted in too many swimmers being named in its squad, which subsequently had to be cut down to 17 based on world governing body FINA's qualifying rules.
Tchorz, who previously represented Poland at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, expressed her anger at the mistake on social media.
"Imagine dedicating five years of your life and striving for another start at the most important sporting event, giving up your private life and work, sacrificing your family and your dedication results in a total flop," she said.
Chowaniec, another of those sent home, added on Instagram: "I'm deeply shocked by what happened. This is an absurd situation for me that should never have happened."
He added: "I hope to wake up from this nightmare eventually."
Both Tchorz and Chowaniec, as well as the majority of the Poland swimming team, also posted a joint letter to the PZP calling for the board to resign.
PZP president Pawel Slominski has apologized for the incident and said he understood the anger of those who were sent home.
"I express great regret, sadness and bitterness about the situation related to the qualification of our swimmers for the Olympic Games in Tokyo," he said.
"Such a situation should not take place, and the reaction of the swimmers, their emotions, the attack on the Polish Swimming Federation is understandable to me and justified."