No confidence in SVG team for Beijing Olympics

31.JULY.08

Editor: Please allow us a column in your weekly publication to express our views as concerned sportsmen and sportswomen.

Sports minded Vincentians, the world over, would and should already come to the conclusion that the lucky vacation winners, chosen by the National Olympic Committee of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to represent our country at the most prestigious sporting event for this year, have totally no hope of returning to these shores with something meaningful.{{more}}

Taking into consideration firstly, the athletes: Kineke Alexander & Jared Lewis (both Track & Field).

Kineke Alexander over the past years no doubt has shown potential as a promising world-class athlete, but presently let’s deal with the facts. Looking back at some of Alexander’s recent performances, starting with the N.C.A.A Championships in the U.S.A where she represented the Iowa State University, she came in 8th place (last) in the Women’s 400m Finals. At another meet in Cali, Columbia, Alexander represented this country at the 21st Edition of the the Caribbean and Central American Championships, she was again disappointed after she did not even past the preliminary rounds, where she clocked a time of 52.68 s in the middle distance event. And, even more recently, Alexander placed 6th amongst the youngsters in the women’s 400m finals at the Under 23 North & Central American & Caribbean Track & Field Championships in Toluca, Mexico, where she produced an even slower time than was previously recorded in Cali. So what really can we expect from Alexander at the Summer Olympics, competing against the World’s best athletes?

And then we have… Who? Newcomer Jared Lewis, a Canadian based sprinter, who is also a relative of Alexander. Lewis recently completed the Men’s 100m-sprint event in a time of 10.71 secs at the CAC Track & Field Championships in Cali, Columbia. This time was not enough to obtain Olympic Qualification, and certainly it was not the fastest time clocked this year by a Vincentian in the same event. Gosnel Butcher, a better-known Vincentian athlete who trained at the Hi-Tech Performance Centre in Jamaica, had clocked a faster time of 10.6 secs in Jamaica, and was overlooked by the Keith Joseph led Team Athletics SVG, for Lewis instead. And anyway, what should we really expect from this athlete?

Now we go to the Officials traveling with the team of two athletes: Gloria Ballantyne – Chief of Mission; Jacintha Ballantyne (Gloria’s Daughter) – Chaperone; Leroy Llewellyn – Manager; Gideon Labban – Coach; Keith Joseph – Secretary, National Olympic Committee of St. Vincent & the Grenadines; Trevor Bailey – President, National Olympic Committee of St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Yes people, all these officials for only two athletes. But still, just a few more unanswered questions: How much has been spent in preparing these athletes to represent our country at the highest level of competition?

Is Mother Gloria still pampering and teaching her daughter since 96’ Olympics, and traveling together every games since, with the same poor leadership? And, why is this netball duo going to an Olympic Games, when their sport is in real crisis after a dismal performance in the just concluded AFTA Netball Tournament?

Is Mr. Llewelyn the best person of all persons to manage a team?

Is Labban really the coach of these athletes or the best fill-in coach? Has Labban ever coached an athlete who can beat a turtle? Where are these athletes’ coaches?

How long have Mr. Joseph & Mr. Bailey been in their respective positions in the SVGNOC? When was the last time fair elections for those positions were held? Are Mr. Joseph & Mr. Bailey just trying to accumulate their Advantage sky miles with this trip, to get another free ride somewhere?

Where are the team doctor and media personnel for us to know what occurred?

And finally why must Vincentians just sit back and be continuously dealt a bad hand, when they are much better cards in the pack like: Adonson Shallow, Gosnel Butcher, Pamenos Ballantyne, Courtney Bascombe and others? Where are these more senior and successful athletes? Are they not Vincentians?

Concerned Sportsmen