Jack Anstey has again blasted Australian Athletics over non-selection. Here's why the federation has the stance it does

"I'm just at a point now where I'm not going to keep my mouth shut."

Those were the fighting words of middle-distance runner Jack Anstey as he doubled down on an attack against Australian Athletics (AA) this week, having failed to satisfy the national federation's selection criteria for the world athletics indoor championships, taking place in Poland over the weekend.

The 28-year-old Queenslander met the qualification criteria set out by World Athletics for the world indoor championships. He did so by bettering the time standard for the men's 1500 metres, 3:36.00, and by ranking inside the top 30 on the global governing body's "top performances" list at the end of the qualification period.

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But AA didn't select Anstey because he wasn't ranked inside the top 20 of that list at the end of the qualification period — a rule designed by the national federation and set out in its selection policy.

Anstey unloaded on AA in a lengthy Instagram post last week. He went even harder in an interview with Wide World of Sports as the world championships kicked off on Friday, warning that AA's stance would push kids away from the sport.

"It doesn't make sense to me, and I feel like it's only gonna harm athletes in the future," Anstey said from his training base in Flagstaff, Arizona.

"If it doesn't help me, and this doesn't change immediately, that's one thing.

"But in 10 years', 15 years' time, if kids are growing up hearing these stories ... why would they be motivated to stay in the sport and try and make these teams and go to Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games and world champs?

"There's plenty of other [Australian] people who've had huge selection dramas over the last few years.

"We already have a hard enough time keeping kids in the sport, and this is only going to drive kids further away from the sport, in my opinion."

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The only Australian picked to run in the men's 1500m at the world indoor championships was Adam Spencer. The former national 1500m champion met the time standard and was inside the highest-ranked 20 athletes of the top performances list when the qualification period closed.

AA sent a team of 11 to Poland, headlined by global medallists Jessica Hull, Nicola Olyslagers, Eleanor Patterson, Kurtis Marschall and Liam Adcock.

Rounding out the team are Peter Bol, Bob Abdelrahim, Michelle Jenneke, Hayley Kitching, Linden Hall and Spencer.

"By their policy I didn't achieve the criteria. It is pretty cut and dry," Anstey said.

"But it's the actual policy that people have an issue with.

"They [AA] are just making up their own rules. Being [in the] top 20 is so arbitrary.

"What is the most frustrating thing is World Athletics ... comes out and says your worthy of qualification, and then AA can think that they're essentially superior and don't need to follow those guidelines."

Anstey's agent is American Stephen Haas. He manages athletes from all over the globe. Among the Australians in his stable are Hull, Abbey Caldwell, Delta Amidzovski, Lauren Ryan and, as of recently, Stewart McSweyn.

Haas aired his disappointment with Wide World of Sports this week.

"We knew the whole time, we understood that the policy was set the way it was set. We have no problem with that," Haas said from Poland.

"We have a problem with the policy in general. If you meet the World Athletics qualifying standard, I don't understand why they [a federation] would come in and say, 'No, we're gonna hold you to a higher standard than that to qualify for our team'.

"That, to me, doesn't make any sense, and obviously to Jack, it doesn't sit well either.

"He could be very competitive in a race here."

AA declined to comment when contacted by Wide World of Sports.

The question beckons: why does AA's "top 20" rule exist? It's only in place for world indoor championships — not for world outdoor championships, Olympic Games or Commonwealth Games.

The answer is the global indoor season, held throughout the northern hemisphere winter, clashes with the Australian domestic season, and AA is at a pains to protect its series of competitions.

By insisting athletes must not only meet World Athletics' qualification criteria but its own stricter selection policy, AA ensures it's harder to get on the team and, therefore, more athletes are available to compete on the domestic scene.

It's possible for athletes to compete in both — the world indoor championships are this weekend and the leading event of the Australian season, Melbourne's Maurie Plant Meet, is next weekend — but AA says mixing global travel with competition within such a short period of time is detrimental to performance, and they want athletes cherry-ripe for the domestic season.

AA's policy for the world indoor championships states that one of its aims is to "select only athletes and relay teams with the realistic potential to win a medal and be highly competitive".

Another aim is to "select athletes who are considered potential medallists or top eight athletes in future world athletics championships or Olympic Games".

The truth is, not everyone selected by AA for this year's world indoor championships can reasonably be considered a medal shot, either now or in the future.

But AA sets the bar high, and when a so-so athlete still manages to clear it, selectors cop it and put them on the plane.

And with superstar athletes like Hull and Olyslagers, AA knows they are significant chances of bringing home medals.

Olyslagers, a two-time world indoor gold medallist, won silver in the women's high jump on Friday.

Anstey was a member of the Australian quartet that won gold in the mixed 4x2km relay at the world cross-country championships in Tallahassee, Florida in January.