Body-building administrators muscling up

A group of “financial members” of the body-building association and “other diehard body-builders” have formed an interim committee to run the sport.{{more}}

Their actions come after the protracted inactivity of body-building here and the apparent nonchalance of the duly elected executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Amateur Bodybuilding, Power-lifting and Fitness Federation (SVGABBFF).

Decidedly fed up with the dips in the sport, the committee, led by a former president, Steve Victory, has undertaken to bench-press and squat the issues they say are confronting the organisation.

The interim committee, which also includes Beverley Richards, Andrew Williams, Ulric White and Aubrey Burgin, was put in place at a meeting on January 19.

The committee has since written to Minister of Sports Ces McKie and copied the letter to President of the National Olympic Committee Trevor Bailey and acting manager of the National Sport Council Cecil Charles.

The January 22 letter informed the officials of the installation of the committee, which will look into the affairs of the organisation, “put plans in place for an Annual General Meeting and to put a new executive in place by three months time”.

Among the plans Victory outlined in the letter are “to get all gyms and fitness persons to be affiliated to the federation, to introduce a misfigure and body fitness contest, to participate in regional and international body building championships, to franchise an Eastern Caribbean schoolboy body-building championships in August of each year, to introduce a school-boy championship, as well as junior and senior Mr SVG championships annually”.

The letter also informed that all correspondence (s) should be addressed to interim committee via e-mail: cribvicent@hotmail.com.

However, this is not sitting well with elected president of the SVGABBFF Korean Williams.

Williams told SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday that she was unaware of the interim committee, but described it as “another case of Mr Victory and his nonsense”.

In 2008, Victory and the late John Mc Lean formed part of an “elected” executive of the SVGABBFF, which was never recognized by the National Sports Council nor the National Olympic Committee.

Williams is adamant that she is still at the helm of the SVGABBFF. She noted that it was not the duly elected executive which called the meeting and hence, the committee does not have any credence.

Williams said her executive is well in place and will be holding a meeting this weekend, but refused to give this publication the day, venue and time of the meeting.

“If I am to call an election now, Mr Victory will still not be president,” Williams told SEARCHLIGHT.

She revealed that plans are at an advanced stage to host a national championship this year, in addition to other developmental programmes.

Williams has been at the helm since 2000 and was re-elected at the federation’s last annual meeting on March 26, 2011, when she defeated Steve Victory 9-5.

It was the first election held since 2004.

Also elected at that meeting were Vice President Stephen Roberts, General Secretary Anastacia Bascombe, Treasurer Desmond Matthews, Assistant Secretary Osbourne Williams and Public Relations Officer Clifford Gould.

The committee members were Sydney Sutherland, Wayne Trimmingham and Leslie Hall.

The life of the executive is two years. (RT)