National Olympic Committee counting the cost

26.JUNE.09

by Rohan Thomas

President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) Trevor ‘Sailor’ Bailey, is disappointed that the planned Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) Games have been postponed/cancelled, but thinks it was done in the best interest of the well being of all concerned.{{more}}

Last week Friday, news of the Games’ cancellation was received from Trinidad and Tobago, which was to be the host of the July 12 to 19 Games.

Rising fears over the spread of the Influenza A H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus led the health ministry there to call off the event that was budgeted to cost the Trinidad and Tobago government TT $35 million (US$5.7 million).

“It was disappointing, but it was done in the best interest of the athletes, officials, the media and the volunteers, and it was the best decision”, Bailey told SEARCHLIGHT last Tuesday.

Bailey said it was a serious blow, since the Games were incubated nine years ago, and involved that period of planning, consuming vast amounts of human and financial resources.

“The Caribbean was poised to make history as in a sense, as it was our mini Olympics”, Bailey lamented.

“Finding a new date for the Games will be difficult,” Bailey said, as the Games were timed to be staged following every Olympic year.

Within his local organization, Bailey said that they, too, are counting the cost.

“We had already ordered pins, 3000, which cost us about EC$ 10,000. The pins have the dates of the Games, so we will just have to give them away,” the NOC President admitted.

Bailey said that they had already blocked some seats and made a down payment with regional air carrier LIAT, but this he thinks they will be refunded or the tickets used for further travel under NOC’s funding.

“There were some other administrative expenses,” Bailey continued.

The NOC President said his organization was spared incurring further cost, as they were able to stop the ordering of uniforms out of Trinidad and Tobago after getting wind of the postponement/cancellation last week Thursday.

This country was to have had representation in five disciplines: Track and Field Athletics, Boxing, Netball, Tennis and Volleyball.

Meanwhile, President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association Doris Mc Intosh said she was equally disappointed with the sudden postponement/ cancellation of the Games.

She said her association was looking forward to the Games, especially with the Netball competition that was to be used as the Caribbean qualifier to next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Mc Intosh hopes that an alternative venue will be found soon to host the Netball component.

But this country’s top long distance athlete, Pamenos Ballantyne, has a different view.

Ballantyne, who has been training in Trinidad and Tobago for the past six months ahead of the Games, is peeved that the decision to postpone/ cancel the Games, was done without the consultation of the other National Olympic Associations.

Ballantyne, while acknowledging the danger of the virus, he is questioning the hosting of similar mass events in the twin-island republic.

“They just had the National Athletics Championships, that should have been cancelled too,” Ballantyne suggested.

The outspoken Ballantyne believes that the rising cost of staging the Games and the readiness of some of the venues, especially the Haseley Crawford Stadium, may have been contributing factors to the postponement/cancellation.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially declared a global H1N1 flu pandemic.