Blessing?

The unexpected, shock announcement came last week Friday of the postponement/cancellation of the inaugural Caribbean Games otherwise referred to as the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Associations (CANOC) Games, which were to be held in Trinidad and Tobago from July 12 to 19.{{more}}

Disappointing it must have been for the Organising Committee, the various regional National Olympic Associations, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, which had pumped in millions of dollars into the refurbishment of the facilities; the regional media and those athletes who were training for what was termed “The Caribbean Olympics”.

The rationale given for the Games is to give the peoples of the region an opportunity to see their top athletes on a single stage, as many of them mainly perform outside the Caribbean. Even more than this, though, is the forging of unity among Caribbean people, as attained by the West Indies Cricket Team.

In effect, the Games, which should have seen action in five disciplines: Track and Field Athletics, Boxing, Netball, Tennis and Volleyball – Indoor and Beach, involving approximately 2,000 athletes, officials and media personnel from forty countries.

In addition, the Trinidad and Tobago economy would have surely received a boost from this influx of persons.

The spread of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus that has so far affected more than 76 countries and infected more than 30,000 persons was forwarded as the cause of the postponement/cancellation.

But blessings come in small measures and come at times when we least expect them and when we need them most. It must be a blessing to the host associations that were clamouring for the improvement of these facilities, which they deemed neglected.

It could also be a blessing for the Games organisers who were concerned that some of the said venues were behind schedule for completion in time for the week long regional event. They could have been saved some embarrassment.

Conceptualised by Caricom’s Ministers of Sports some years ago, the Games’ intent of showing off our best athletes, though a good one, was found out to be a far fetched objective as the timing of the Games did not fit into many schedules.

The Games, which were supposed to have been held a few weeks prior to the Athletics’ World Championships, certainly negated the participation of some of the region’s elite in Track and Field.

Farcical it would have been if the hosts did not attend their own party.

Hopefully, if the Games are rescheduled, then the likes of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell , Melain Walker, Richard Thompson, Brendan Christian, Daniel Bailey, among others, will be present, or better still make themselves available.

Here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, some mercies have been bestowed on us, too. This country was attempting to have participation in all five disciplines.

With the postponement/cancellation in effect, it should give us more time to plan and select our best teams. Like other countries in the region, it was a struggle to get the most competent here and abroad together for national representation.

To say that our preparations for the Games were inadequate would be an understatement.

Few were involved in any serious competitions leading up to the proposed dates for the scheduled July Games. Pamenos Ballantyne was training in Trinidad and Tobago and was involved in a few road races there. Also, overseas based athletes Adonson Shallow, Jerad Lewis, Kineke Alexander, Clayton Latham and Delhonni Nicol- Samuel have had recent action, given their set up in North America. Otherwise, the rest was left to chance and the luck of the draw.

Mind you, the dates for the Games were known over a year ago, when things became crystalised.

The senior national netball team last week lost both matches in a tri nation friendly series against host Barbados and the touring Scotland team. The losses against Barbados and Scotland were not good fillip for a national already struggling to regain some status in the Caribbean as one of the sport’s power houses.

I will be out of place to say that the Games would have been another joy ride for some. Of course, we have gone past the stage of carrying persons on a sight seeing tour.

So it is back to square one, everything quashed for the time being. Things are on hold, as everyone waits and sees. For us, the time should be taken to revisit the approach to events of this nature.

Yes, we have committed ourselves to participation, and this will be so, if or whenever the Games are rescheduled, but it must be with a refocussed plan.

No plan, though, is in place to stop from calling for the removal of the “Mound” at the Sion Hill Playing Field.

email: kingroacheyahoo.com