Adelaide : Twice world champion James Magnussen missed out when the Australian swimming team was named after the Olympic selection trials but he could yet still feature in the freestyle relay team for Rio.
Magnussen, 25, was the notable omission when the 34-strong squad was announced on the pool deck after the completion of the eight-day Australian Championships in Adelaide.
Magnussen, who was pipped by just one-hundredths of a second for the 100-metre freestyle gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, failed to finish in the first two places in the 50m and 100m events at the trials.
Australia's 4x100m freestyle relay team has yet to qualify for Rio but their entry is expected to be confirmed by the May 31 deadline and Magnussen, Matthew Abood and James Roberts will be put forward by Swimming Australia for nomination in the team.
Australia is vying for one of four relay places at Rio after failing to make the 2015 final at last year's Kazan world championships.
Head coach Jacco Verhaeren said Magnussen and his relay teammates would join a team camp in Adelaide this weekend despite not being officially confirmed as members.
"They will be acknowledged but not officially announced (at the team camp) - that is the unfortunate reality we are in," Verhaeren told reporters.
"At the orientation camp we will treat them like equal athletes. But the reality is they are not there."
The transitional Australian team, developed by Dutchman Verhaeren, is headed by CameronMcEvoy and Cate Campbell, who both dominated the sprints at the meet.
McEvoy claimed the first-ever sprint treble at an Australian swimming championships in the 50, 100 and 200m freestyle events.
Campbell narrowly beat home her younger sister Bronte in both the 50m and 100m events with sizzling times.
Verhaeren, who once mentored Dutch Olympic champions Inge de Bruijn and Pieter van den Hoogenband, spoke glowingly of Australia's freestyle strength ahead of the August Olympics.
"This is definitely one of the best (freestyle) teams I have ever seen," he said.
Australia also has strong medal chances with backstroke world champion Mitch Larkin, distance freestyler Mack Horton, world champion backstroker Emily Seebohm and rising star freestyler Emma McKeon.
Emma and her brother David are the first sister-brother combination to represent Australia in swimming at an Olympics since John and Ilsa Konrads at Rome in 1960.
Even if Magnussen, Abood and Roberts are subsequently added to the team Australia will be sending a smaller team to Rio than four years ago in London.
Australia took a swim team of 44 to the last Olympics but the selection criteria at the trials was very strict and several winners and placegetters at events failed to qualify on their times.
