MANCHESTER, July 24: Commonwealth Games leaders tightened their rules on eligibility on Tuesday, removing the special standing enjoyed by British athletes who compete for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at the event.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CCF) General Assembly decided, that from the next Games in 2006, a residency term of two of the three years prior to the event will apply to all 72 competing nations unless an athlete is born in a country.

In the past British athletes only had to live in one of the seven “home nations” — which also include the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey — for six of the 12 months before a Games in order to compete for them.

But there have been a number of controversial high-profile eligibility cases in recent years such as squash player Peter Nicol, who switched from Scotland to England to take advantage of better funding and coaching.

British competitors can, of course, still continue to compete for the country of their birth even if they live in another part of Britain.

DISBALED SWIMMER

South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit is determined to make history in the pool at the Commonwealth Games by taking part in a disabled event as well as testing herself against her able-bodied rivals.

The 18-year-old from Capetown competed for South Africa at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur in the 200m butterfly before tragedy struck and she lost her left leg in a road accident in February 2001.

But Du Toit has refused to surrender to the incident and will go for medals in two Elite Athletes with Disabilities (EAD) events as well as the 800m freestyle against the tournament’s able-bodied swimmers.

These Games are unique in that they are the first international competition to integrate events for EAD and the able-bodied.

And despite the amputation, Du Toit has vowed even to make it as far as the next Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.

In training, she has been swimming comfortably inside the world record for the 100m freestyle in the category for her disability, but she remains unsure as to how she will perform in the EAD races.

“I have never done it before and I don’t know how I will do because the events are multi-disability, but I know it will be quite a challenge for me.”

Du Toit has said that it was always her ambition to race with able-bodied rivals and proved her point by making second place in the national trials.

However she is not the first swimmer from South Africa with a disability to compete alongside able-bodied rivals.

Terence Parkin, who has a profound hearing impediment and is also in the Manchester squad, took part in Kuala Lumpur and then, in 2000, clinched a memorable silver medal in the 200m breaststroke at the Sydney Olympics.

ATHLETE EXPELLED

An Australian runner who planned to compete for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games has been expelled after officials discovered she was ineligible to compete for her adopted country.

Adrienne McIvor, 31, was ordered to pack her bags and leave the games village Wednesday after officials realised a mistake. Although she was born and raised in Australia, McIvor began racing for Northern Ireland earlier this year after missing selection for the Australian team.

Under international athletics rules, she was allowed to change allegiances because her mother was born in Northern Ireland, but under Commonwealth Games regulations, she had to have lived in her adopted country for at least three years to compete at the games.—Reuters/AFP