Several replies to my earlier message, both on- and off-list, have served to clarify my questions about team representation, especially with regard to the European women's vault selection. I'm very appreciative.
I still am confused about how an individual nation is granted team status, as separate from representation in its geographical region (e.g., Germany and Russia as teams separate from the European Team), and how an individual athlete (e.g., high jumper Russian high jumper Ryhakov Yaroslav) who is not selected for his national team can be eligible for selection in a regional team (in Yaroslav's instance, the European Team). According to the report of the 8th (1988) IAAF World Cup in Peter Matthews' 1999 Athletics Annual, Russian men as a component of the European team won a single first place, one second, two thirds, and one fourth. What is there about this accomplishment that qualified them for representation as a separate team four years later? Incidentally, the men's team scores were Africa 110, Europe 109, Germany 102, Americas 97, USA 94; Gt Brit/N Ireland 89, Asia 64, and Oceania 53. On this result, it may be time that the U.S. should reconsider going it alone, separately from the rest of America. On the other hand, it may be time to reconsider whether there is any defensible rationale for holding something called a "World Cup," different in structure from the IAAF World Championships or the athletics portion of the Olympic Games. Cheers, Roger
