By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
 SYDNEY -- Time, gentlemen, time.

 The coach has had enough. Eventually politics have to make way for competition.

 "We're wrapping this up today,'' said Mitch Geller before lunch this morning in Sydney.

 "We're either wrapping this up back in the International Court of Sports Arbitration before the end of the day or Arturo Miranda isn't going to dive.

 "There's a point where you have to draw the line and have closure. Everybody is clear on it including Arturo.

 "Alex Despatie is our official entry in the event,'' he said of the men's three-metre springboard.

 "If we go back to the court of sport before the end of the day and they decide Arturo is eligible again, then we'll replace Alex with Arturo. There's a point where you have to say enough, already. If Alex is going to dive he has to have time to get his head wrapped around the event. And that time is now.''

 Geller says he can't wait any longer on Heritage Minister Sheila Copps doing the political dance with the Cubans.

 That looked encouraging when after two weeks the minister finally managed to get a meeting with the Cubans with hopes of them lifting their Rule 46 Olympic Charter blockade which is keeping the former Cuban, who married a Canadian and left Cuba, legally out of the Games.

 Copps had a dinner scheduled with the Cubans which was supposed to produce a carefully-worded agreement between the two countries that would let the diver who Cuba left home from the Barcelona Olympics for financial reasons, a chance to dive.

 Guess who didn't come to dinner? Geller doesn't know how close Copps may or may not be to closing with the Cubans.

 It's time.

 "The competition starts Friday with the women's tower. It's time to get on with the Olympics.''

 Geller headed to a law office here during the Sydney noon-hour to find out if Plan B had given him a chance to go back to the court of sport and make Miranda eligible, like the Americans made kayaker Angel Perez eligible in a very similar case, other than Perez being a defector and Miranda a legal leaver.

 Geller has asked for a letter from Anne McLellan's justice department which says what the American government said.

 "The American letter said that Perez was a national in spite of not being a citizen yet.''

 Miranda has been a Canadian citizen for a year after the three-year period of having landed immigrant status.