Commonwealth Games denial…. Ticket cancelled!

St Vincent and the Grenadines’ track and field contingent to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, has been reduced by one.

This, after Courtney Bascombe had his ticket cancelled.{{more}}

Bascombe, who is based in Trinidad and Tobago, was on his way to the airport last Tuesday morning, when he learnt of the cancellation.

Relating what transpired, Bascombe spoke of his experience to SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday afternoon, via telephone.

“I was scheduled to leave Trinidad after 11 yesterday (Tuesday) morning, but on checking my e-mail on my phone that my flight itinerary was not posted”, said Bascombe, who was set to fly to Barbados, then to England, before reaching Scotland.

Bascombe said that while he was in the taxi heading to the airport, he attempted to call the National Olympic Office located at Kingstown Park, but was unsuccessful on the first attempt.

“I then called the travel agent and I inquired about my ticket … I was put on to the manager who told me that my ticket was cancelled,” Bascombe recalled.

“I got on to the office (NOC) about 9:30 so, and spoke to the secretary and informed her of my situation… She told me to hold on as President of the NOC Mr (Trevor) Bailey was there,” he added.

Bascombe reported that despite the secretary’s audible request for him to have an audience with Bailey to explain his predicament, the NOC president did not budge.

“I keep checking my mails up to today and nobody has explained anything to me,” Bascombe stated.

Bascombe thinks that what prompted the ticket cancellation was his public ventilation about not being granted a request for compensation for loss of income while he was in Scotland.

The 29-year-old Bascombe, who works on contract in the health sector in Trinidad and Tobago, was on local radio last Saturday and Sunday nights, complaining of not been given assistance by the St Vincent and the Grenadines National Olympic Committee.

“Basically, I was just looking for re-imbursement for deductions from my salary… I wrote about four e-mails, before I took to the radio and to the social media … No response to the e-mails, no response,” Bascombe expounded.

Bascombe said that he sent the e-mails to President of Team Athletics SVG Keith Joseph, who is also the General Secretary of the NOC and directly to the NOC’s address.

A sprint athlete, who began representing St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2003, then aged 18, Bascombe said that he did not request any preparation grant this time around.

“The reason I didn’t ask for preparation grant, because over the years, every time you ask, they never have money… I stood my expenses for training … It is an injustice, after I done spend my money,” Bascombe lamented.

He noted that he is yet to ascertain who actually ordered that his ticket to be cancelled.

But Bascombe has found himself in a quandary as he has been granted leave from work to attend the games, which means that his salary will still be deducted.

Efforts by SEARCHLIGHT to get clarification on the matter proved futile.

Calls made to the cell phone of the NOC’s president- Trevor Bailey, went straight to voice mail.(RT)