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Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce says she wants her country’s sports officials do more to counter “untrue” allegations of doping

Jamaican sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has threatened to lead an athletes’ strike of major championships unless her country’s sports officials do more to counter “untrue” allegations of doping and provide better support for their international athletes.

Fraser-Pryce, who won three gold medals at this summer’s World Championships in Moscow and 100 metres gold at the London Olympics, says she has been hurt by international criticism of Jamaican athletes and has accused her federation of doing nothing to defend the reputation and integrity of her and her fellow track stars.

She has also attacked the lack of medical and financial support available for up-and-coming athletes in Jamaica, claiming that sports officials are happy to enjoy the benefits of the country’s track successes while contributing little.

The 26-year-old says she is currently making good progress in setting up a union to give athletes a greater voice on the Caribbean island and she insists she is prepared to take a firm stand to ensure the concerns of her and her compatriots are addressed.

Asked if that included going on strike, even at international championships, she replied: “If there are certain things that are not up to standard, then that’s the thing we have to do because if we don’t run, they [Jamaica’s officials] will start to do thing

“If it comes down to actually not competing to make sure that things are up to scratch when it comes to facilities and different things in Jamaica, then I would.

“We believe that we deserve to have good things, especially at a time when we are doing so well, and also not to have our names tarnished.”

Fraser-Pryce, who is in Monaco for tomorrow’s World Athlete of the Year awards ceremony, said she was angry that no-one in the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association appeared to be sticking up for athletes in the face of so much criticism from abroad.

“As athletes we sit and think, when international media or whoever make judgments or statements about Jamaica, why aren’t members of our federation coming out and speaking up for us?

“We are the ones out there competing and yet we read articles and listen to people making accusations about Jamaica, and there’s nobody there to take a microphone, be a big person and say, ‘What you’re saying is wrong and it’s a lie’.

“A lot of things being said in the media are untrue but there’s no person in our federation who saying that these things are a lie.

“We have members in our federation who are just sitting back and enjoying the benefits of the fruits of our labour. They’re all embracing the things we do but when it comes to doing their job, they’re not doing it.”

Fraser-Pryce said she was particularly hurt by comments made by Jamaican anti-doping official Dr Paul Wright earlier this week when he claimed that the six positive tests involving Jamaican athletes this year could be the “tip of the iceberg”.

She said: “If you’re Jamaican, you’re part of our administration and you make a statement like that and then nobody defends it, then those things are hurtful. But it’s not true. I don’t think we have a doping issue. We’re tested wherever we go.”

Jamaica’s doping record has been under scrutiny following revelations of insufficient out-of-competition drug-testing and under-staffing. It was announced this week that the United States Anti-Doping Agency had agreed to assist the Jamaican authorities in improving their anti-doping programme.

But Fraser-Pryce denied there was a doping culture in the country and said the recent problems were simply down to contaminated or poorly labelled supplements and vitamins.

“There’s nobody in Jamaica sitting there and doping up to run fast,” she said. “There’s not an issue like that. What has happened is just cases of athletes neglecting to correctly check the supplement they’ve had. It’s not like they are deliberately or intentionally cheating. They’re not.”

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Imagine if the European Olympic Committees (EOC) were to purchase the Olympic Games broadcasting rights for Europe, or the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) bid against NBC and the other networks for the US rights.

Preposterous, right?

Yet this, in effect, is what has just happened in the Caribbean.

On Monday (November 11), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced it had awarded the rights for Rio 2016 in this region of palm trees and Olympic sprinters to CANOC Broadcasting Inc (CBI).

Much the most interesting part of the announcement, however, came in the final paragraph: "CBI is a company that has been formed by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) across the Caribbean to purchase, monetise and manage the broadcast rights for the Olympic Games and other sporting properties."

This notion of NOCs entering the television rights business intrigued me so much I picked up the phone to Larry Romany, CBI's chief executive.

To summarise, Romany, who was President until recently of the Trinidad and Tobago NOC, gives me to understand a) that he wants to provide high-quality, Caribbean-focused coverage throughout the region; and b) that as much as possible of any margin the company makes would be used to develop Caribbean sport.

"We want to utilise the great value the Olympic rings have always had and allow the islands to appreciate what it really is to be part of the Olympic Movement," he tells me.

In many ways, key to the success of the venture will be the nature of the offer to sponsors/advertisers Romany intends to make.

Rather than treat the region as a hotchpotch of island microstates, with individual TV companies left to do their own deals for access to what, inevitably, are pretty small pockets of viewers, even for the most popular events, CBI itself would sign up sponsors wishing to target the entire 40-some million-strong region.

It would then embed the branding of these companies into all its programming.

He might not like the analogy, but it strikes me as an attempt to do for the regional sports advertising market what, a generation or two ago, the West Indies did for Caribbean cricket.

"We will bring all the sponsors to the table and be responsible for selling all sponsorship," he explains, adding that CBI will target Olympic TOP sponsors, regional multinationals and local sponsors.

"Some advertising time - perhaps 90 seconds out of 14 or so minutes of advertising per hour - will be reserved for local companies interested only in their local market.

"We will negotiate with TV stations on terms for broadcasting the programming in their particular market on a revenue-sharing basis.

"By doing that we can control ambush marketing."

Romany emphasises that an as-yet-undisclosed production company would put the programmes together and that the IOC will provide 10 different feeds of the action from Brazil, enabling different languages and points of interest to be catered for: if a St Lucian high-jumper is in action at the same time as a Haitian wrestler, there should be enough flexibility to enable each market to get the pictures it is most likely to be interested in.

So far, so innovative and interesting - and let's not forget that the region possesses the biggest current Olympic star of all, Usain Bolt - but is there not significant financial risk involved for the regional sports bodies?

After all, the IOC has not done this deal on the cheap: I understand CBI is paying $2.5 million (£1.6 million/€1.9 million) - a drop in the ocean compared to the $4.1 billion (£2.5 billion/€3 billion) the IOC expects to raise all told from broadcasting rights for the Olympic cycle encompassing Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016, but more than triple the $750,000 (£465,000/€555,000) paid in the previous quadrennium, and that was for both Winter and Summer Games.

Romany does not attempt to deny that the possibility of making a loss exists, but he makes three points.

1. CBI's model should help the whole region really get the most out of the Olympics and help sponsors to understand the full value of the Caribbean market. Both of these things would be beneficial from the regional NOCs' perspective and, hence, if necessary worth paying a certain amount for.

2. The regional NOCs know the score and realise it is possible - though not expected - that they might have to make further contributions to CBI.

3. "We feel that we are in a fairly good position regarding interest from sponsors. We don't think we will make a lot of money, but we don't believe we will lose any.

"Sponsorship revenue generated from the last Olympic Games from the three biggest island markets alone - Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados - would give us enough money to pay for everything we need."

And if the model works, what plans have been made for reinvesting the surplus in regional sports development, as touched on in Monday's announcement?

Romany explains that revenue-sharing would be on two levels: sports development programmes, targeting what he terms a "priority list" of development issues; and direct funding to regional NOCs for developing their own athletes.

He makes the point that smaller territories, such as Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands, often have almost no access to funding, yet have a tendency to produce good athletes.

He pledges, moreover: "There is no way any of this profit is going to end up in any individual's hands."

The objective, he suggests, is to keep central costs, including the acquisition of further rights, down to such a degree that 85-90 per cent of any surplus would be channelled into development programmes.

He makes clear, too, that Rio 2016 is seen as just the start.

CBI would "most definitely" bid for the Winter Olympics in the next cycle, and expects to be in the market for future Pan American and Commonwealth Games, as well as world championships of particular interest to the region.

"We have every intent of owning the Olympic rights in perpetuity," he says.

As proof of their seriousness, CBI is to start making monthly video and radio magazine programmes from February 2014, "so that TV companies get Olympic content over an extended period, rather than just having a two-week bite at the cherry when the Games are on".

The Caribbean is a particularly fragmented region, but it does make you wonder if there might be other parts of the world where such a model could prove beneficial.

At any rate, I wish Romany and his colleagues well.

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Three teenagers are among the five table tennis players recommended by Dexter St Louis to attend the Swedish Elite Center in Koping, Sweden.

Two 15-year-olds, Aaron Wilson and Brittany Joseph, as well as Arun Roopnarine, 16, are on St Louis’ list, in addition to the Humphreys brothers, Curtis and Alaric.

St Louis told the Express, yesterday, he spoke to Ahlen Soren, the head coach at the Elite Center, and subsequently provided Trinidad and Tobago Table Tennis Association (T&TTTA) president Reeza Burke with all the necessary information.

“The deal is that we can send our best players—best meaning not by our ranking list, which is based on local tournaments, but the ones who are technically, mentally and physically capable of improving. During my time in T&T, I noticed five players—the Humphreys brothers, Brittany, Arun and Aaron. These players will be first served.

“If Stanley Hunte, Reeza, Ian Joseph, Anthony Brown or Dennis La Rose has any other players they feel have the capacity which is required, they will be added to the list, hoping that there is place in the dorms in Sweden, seeing that there is limited space. The training (opportunity) is open from now until June 20, 2014.”

St Louis said the potential benefits of attending the Swedish Elite Center outweigh the cost.

“The price is 150 euros per week, including three meals from Monday to Friday. Players  will have to organise their own meals over the weekends. Training is around four to five hours a day divided into two sessions—9 to 11.30 a.m. and 3 to 5 in the afternoon. This is a great opportunity for our players, who on many occasions waste time and money going to tournaments that they hardly benefitted from.

“These players or parents,” the France-based pro continued, “spending money on themselves or their children to go to a world championships just to add to his or her boasting rights, to say I went here or there, is really senseless. Tour or tournaments, however they may call it, cannot be the solution for improvement. You improve by proper training, and believe me this training centre is the answer.”

St Louis said there is need for a better approach to the game by the country’s top players.

“I personally think our national team lacks discipline in the way we prepare and the way we conduct ourselves in going about our work. Don’t get me wrong. (Coach) Reeza and (manager) Collin Cudjoe do the best they can. However, I still feel some players have to be more disciplined than what was seen (at the Caribbean Championships) in St Lucia.”

St Louis also suggested the return of former president Hunte to the administrative fold.

“I had a long discussion on the phone with Stanley. I can hear in his voice the love for the game. Today, Reeza needs all the help necessary, and by the way, Stanley is retired and has the time to invest.”

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The headline in the Express was factual and dry. It read, “Former UWI lecturer Trevor Farrell dies”. And as I recovered from the shock of reading that news, I wondered if the person writing the headline had any idea who Trevor was or could even begin to imagine the heavy blow to the spirit that such news would have delivered to people like me.
Just the facts, please, just the facts. And that is all we got from the article which accompanied the headline. The first two paragraphs read “former senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Dr Trevor Farrell died on Thursday night at the St Augustine Private Hospital. Farrell, 67, the brother of former deputy Central Bank governor and One Carib­bean Media (OCM) chief exe­cutive officer Terrence Farrell had lectured at the university for more than 30 years.”
That was it. A life summed up in those few words and, apparently, deserving of those few only because of a fraternal relationship with the former chief exe­cutive officer of One Caribbean Media.
And as I struggled to make sense of this, to me, inexplicable lack of due appreciation, I was plunged into a deep sense of gloom. For I had to accept that the reporter who wrote the article and the headline-writer who crowned it simply did not know who Trevor Farrell really was and the service he had given to this our native land.
Perhaps they were too young to know or remember, perhaps they were not fortunate enough to have passed through his hands at UWI, or perhaps, their frame of reference which would guide them as to who or what was news of significance was totally different from mine.

And it was on that last thought that my gloom descended. For I thought of Lloyd Best, and Allan Harris, and Dennis Pantin, and Trevor Boopsingh, and Desmond Allum, and Sheila Solomon, and Angela Cropper, and Pat Bishop and the entire pantheon of patriots, named and unnamed, among whom Trevor now takes his place, and wondered if they had lived and worked and struggled and died for nothing.
I use the term “patriot” even though I am aware it has deve­loped around itself a rather unsavoury set of connotations. Particularly in the United States of America its use has become identified with a rather rabid militarism and the political rhetoric of scoundrels.
But there was a time when the term referred simply to a person who loved, supported and defended his or her country and its interests, not uncritically but with devotion. And for many of us in Trinidad (and the wider Caribbean) who were born amid all the intensity of the decolonisation movement and the birth pangs of political independence, the term “patriotism” also included the idea of service to our country in whatever sphere we found ourselves.
For such patriots—as I wrote in my tribute to my friend, Dennis Pantin—came to understand and accept that the dream of nationhood would not fall into our laps, but “had to be built by toil and effort and hard work”. These patriots “accepted that theirs was the responsibility to shape the dream in whatever way they could and to pass it on to the next generation”.
And finally these patriots “understood that in so doing there would neither be glory nor riches nor even assurances of success, but they did it because they understood that was what had to be done if ever the dream [were] to become reality”.
That is what it meant to be a patriot to those of Trevor’s generation and mine. It was not even a term by which we defined ourselves. We just knew what we had to do and operated in that context. Nor did we always agree with each other. Far from it.
The arguments and disagreements among ourselves were legion and at times even more passionately waged than those we had with the political establishment.
But in all that raging ferment of disputation, never did we doubt or question each other’s fundamental motivation—the love of our country and the desire to build it into a secure and viable nation.
Trevor was exceedingly bright and, some said, exceedingly arrogant. But he never hesitated when the time came and the opportunity presented itself to enlist his services on behalf of the country. He served as a key economic advisor to the National Alliance for Reconstruction regime and was chairman of Trintopec from 1986 to 1991.

Maybe it is all a question of my ageing perspective. But I knew Trevor just as I knew all those in the pantheon of patriots, and I had taken comfort in the know­ledge and the assurance that as long as he and others like him remained alive there was hope for our country.
But as the numbers left dwindle down to a precious few before they disappear altogether, that blessed assurance evaporates and I grieve for my homeland.
Fare thee well, my brother. I salute your service to our country.

• Michael Harris has been for many years a writer and commentator on politics and society in Trinidad
and the wider Caribbean.

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Patrick Hickey, a member of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) ruling Executive Board, has praised rugby's appeal, vision and opportunity in being added to Rio 2016 programme, but also warned against any future complacency.

The Irishman, also President of the European Olympic Committees, was speaking here on the opening day of the International Rugby Board (IRB) Rugby Conference and Exhibition in a panel discussion on "Optimising Olympic Participation".

Like the other panelists he described the great advantages that inclusion will bring but also insisted the sport must not rest on its laurels if it wants to remain on the Olympic programme beyond Tokyo 2020, which is as far as the IOC has guaranteed its participation.

But the IOC are due to re-evaluate the programme for the 2024 Olympics straight after Rio 2016 with a decision due in 2017.

"Every sport will be evaluated post Rio," he said afterwards to insidethegames.

"Rugby has the possibility to do that, through [IRB chairman] Bernard Lapasset and [former Romanian rugby player and new IOC member] Octavian Morariu, but cannot afford to take anything for granted.

"They better start to lobby now for the examination after 2016 - if they don't, they will end up in the danger zone and it very difficult to get out of that."

To make his point, Hickey cited the example of wrestling where, after not making suitable preparations, it was removed from the 2020 schedule before "changing leadership and doing a massive lobby" to return.

He also highlighted a personal example from his own sport of judo in the early part of the 21st century where "we realised that no one could assume that they would stay on the Olympic programme anymore" and "every sport was put under the microscope".

"My job was to infiltrate IOC members and make it clear to them what judo is, build up the image so when it came to the time when the decision had to be made, judo would not be in the danger area," said Hickey.

However, he also had much that was positive to say and attributed rugby's successful attempt to join to two principle reasons.

These were "superb lobbying" and the fact that rugby is "a new game which is very attractive to the youth of the world".

This second point was important because "the IOC are continually looking for ways to reach out to the youth who are starting to become couch potatoes playing on electronic machines all day".

He also described how the IRB overcame the initial problem of appealing to traditional rugby playing nations who were more interested in the 15-man version, while he sees inclusion as opening up many new funding and participation opportunities.

One good example of this came from Hickey's fellow speaker Mike Chu, general manager of Rugby Operations and Performance at Rugby Canada, who described the steps forward taken in rugby in that country as a result of Olympic inclusion.

This comes in a financial sense due to access to significant Own the Podium funding available for Olympic sports - which has directly led to eight new full time staff being employed at Rugby Canada.

However there are also training and sports science advantages, as well as the opportunity to gain a similar publicity boost to that enjoyed by Canada's women's football team when they won a surprise silver medal at London 2012.

Another speaker was a budding Olympian herself, Brazil's Beatriz Muhlbauer, who has played for her country since 2004.

She described Rio 2016 participation as a "huge opportunity for the Brazillian rugby community at all levels and a chance to show "the country and the world that we can embrace and play rugby as well as football".


IRB chief executive Brett Gosper agreed with these views of Olympic benefits and, in a nod to Hickey's warning, admitted that "to stay a good part of Olympic family we need to put on a good Games in Rio".

He explained the importance of lobbying and also disputed suggestions rugby sevens could have a detrimental affect on the 15 side game.

He described sevens as "very accessible and easy to understand" and thus a way into rugby but that there are "two versions of rugby which compliment each other".

"Bringing more people into the sport will therefore help the game at all levels," he claimed.

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Trinidad and Tobago supports the adoption and implementation of  the revised World Anti Doping( WADA)  2015 Code .
Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis , Secretary General Annette Knott and Judith Joseph, Senior legal officer in the Ministry of Sport represented Trinidad and Tobago at the fourth World Conference on Doping in Sport held in Johannesburg, South Africa 12-15 November.
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the few countries in the Caribbean that have passed an Anti Doping in Sport Act.
During the world conference Ms Joseph delivered a submission on behalf of the Ministry of Sport and Minister of Sport Anil Roberts . In her presentation Ms Joseph  confirmed to the global community  the commitment of the T&T Ministry  of Sport in the fight against doping in Sport.
The main purpose of the conference was the adoption of the Revised Code 2015.
There are  a number of significant changes and  WADA called on all signatories to be  2015 Code compliant  by 1st January  2015.
Mrs Knott said the TTOC shares the commitment of the global anti doping movement to protect all  clean Athletes , to preserve the integrity of sport competitions and to ensure a level playing field.
"The TTOC will continue to cooperate with the Ministry in the fight against doping in sport. However  we have to intensify the fight against doping in sport" added Mrs Knott.

Brazil is set to be without its own World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited anti-doping laboratory in time for next year's FIFA World Cup, it was revealed here today.

WADA revoked the accreditation of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) doping control laboratory, also known as LADETEC, earlier this year and a new one in Rio de Janeiro is being set up, but unlikely in time for the World Cup in June and July.

It means that samples collected from players during the tournament will be flown back to Lausanne in Europe to be analysed, FIFA confirmed.

"Rio didn't measure up there," said Fahey, President of WADA, at the World Conference on Doping in Sport which opened here today.

"We will work with them through our science team to get that back [lab accreditation].

"I don't think that's going to happen in a hurry.

"Certainly not before the World Cup.

"Clearly that will involve another laboratory.

"There is a transportation challenge there but it's not an insurmountable challenge.

"You can move samples these days with aircraft and regular flights and I am sure that as the event organiser, FIFA will come to that conclusion.

"It is their responsibility."

The laboratory Brazil was planning to use was stripped of its accreditation in September by WADA, which cited "repeated failures" by the facility.

Fahey warned that despite time constraints, the new new $7 million (£4.5 million/€5 million) laboratory would not be fast-tracked because of the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics and had to be fitted out and staffed properly before it could gain accreditation.

"We will do our best to ensure it happens as soon as is possible but without compromising the quality that is essential...for the work the laboratories must do," he said.

FIFA used the laboratory in Lausanne during the Confederations Cup earlier this year to analyse samples.

"As WADA confirmed that following due process the LADETEC laboratory would not be able to achieve re-accreditation in time for the World Cup, FIFA has no other option but to handle the analysis of samples abroad," the world governing body said following Fahey's comments.

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Scott Blackmun has been given a new three-year contract as chief executive of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) which will take him beyond Rio 2016, it has been revealed.

The new deal includes a nine per cent basic salary raise to $550,000 (£346,000/€409,000) but eliminates the long-term incentive bonuses in his previous contract, according to a report in Sports Business Daily.

The contract was agreed at the USOC's Board meeting last week but details of the deal have only just emerged because 56-year-old Blackmun did not want it to be officially announced.

Blackmun's total compensation for 2012 was $965,359 (£606,486/€718,198), according to the USOC's most recent tax filing.

That included a basic salary of $461,913 (£290,196/€343,646), bonuses and incentive compensation of $231,750 (£145,604/€172,417), and retirement and deferred compensation of $218,750 (£137,436/€162,759).

Blackmun, an attorney by training, had succeeded interim chief executive Stephanie Streeter in 2010 after Jim Scherr was forced out in 2009.

Under Blackmun, the US regained their place at the top of the Olympic medals table at London 2012 winning 104 medals, including 46 gold, their best-ever performance in a Games outside America.

But, perhaps more importantly, he and USOC chairman Larry Probst have helped repair the organisation's fragile relationship with the international Olympic Movement.

This has included resolving the long-standing revenue-sharing dispute with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has put the US in a position whereby they can consider bidding seriously again to stage the Summer Games for the first time since Atlanta 1996 following embarrassing failures by New York City for 2012 and Chicago for 2016.

"Scott came to the USOC at a time of turmoil and he, along with the senior team he has built around him, have provided not only much needed stability to the USOC but have helped further enhance the Olympic Movement in the US," said Probst in a statement.

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A rescue operation to find missing sailor Mark Clarke has been called off by police in the Cayman Islands who now fear that any hopes of finding the former Olympic competitor alive are all but gone.

Clarke, 63, was last seen leaving Rackley's Canal in the North Sound area of the Caymans on a solo fishing trip on Monday (October 21) on board his 25-foot boat called "Badger" and has not been seen or heard from since.

His empty boat was found wedged on coral reef off the Cayman Kai on Tuesday night prompting authorities to launch a search and rescue mission for the veteran sailor.

However, despite a comprehensive operation by the Joint Marine and Air Operations Units of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS), who were assisted by numerous local fishermen, no trace of Clarke has been found and police now fear the worst and are continuing the search in the hope of finding his body.

The Cayman authorities did reveal that they found a mobile phone belonging to Clarke during the search but the service provider confirmed that no signal had been traced to the phone after 5.00pm on Monday evening – the day he was last seen.

"This could be consistent with his phone getting in water," said Inspector Ian Yearwood, who is leading the search effort and is a former colleague of Clarke from his time in the police force.

"For some reason, the last contact signal-wise was at 10 minutes to five o'clock.

"This was his time of recreation and it was not unusual for him to go to sea for three to four days."

Clarke, originally from Jamaica before moving to the Cayman Islands in the 1980s, represented the country in the laser one person dinghy class at theBarcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 Olympics as well as taking part in Central American and Caribbean Games, and Pan American Games.

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Trinidad and Tobago has expressed interest in bidding for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The announcement was made by chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth 2010 in Delhi, India’s Suresh Kalmadi, at closed door Sports Breakfast meeting during the recently held Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Trinidad in November. Kalmadi revealed that “Prime Minister Patrick Manning in his speech said he would like to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018. He made a bid right there in front of all of us.”

When asked what were the main criteria for hosting the games, Kalmadi said a country needs a strong financial backing. “Finance for one. That’s the main thing, and then your determination and will to create international class to the world,” he said. Kalmadi added he was not surprised by Manning’s interest in the games and if he wins the bid, he will give him all the advice and guidance he can. Asked if T&T would be able to prepare for an event of this magnitude, he said, “It depends on your government. If they are ready to come forward or not.”

India, which is hosting the 2010 games in Delhi next October, has already invested US$2 billion in the games. The event is expected to crate 2.5 million jobs and will attract about 100,000 tourists.

The host of the 2018 games will be announced at the General Assembly in Basseterre, St. Kitts, in November 2011. Other cities bidding for the games include Abuja, Nigeria, and Gold Coast, Australia.

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Former Trinidad and Tobago Olympic weightlifter Brandon Bailey, who also won gold at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) games, has died, aithunitmail.com reports.

Bailey, 80, was regarded as the most accomplished heavyweight weightlifter in the twin island republic having represented the country at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, lifting a massive 425kg (935lbs). He passed away Wednesday.

He was named among the “50 Legends of Sport” for the period 1962-2012 at last year’s celebratory function commemorating Trinidad and Tobago’s 50th anniversary of Independence.

“He was one of the outstanding weightlifters and was consistent. He took part in all the games that we were eligible to go to,” said his former coach and manager Alexander Chapman.

“He left a legacy and was a sporting legend.”

Bailey won gold for T&T in the heavyweight class at the 1962 CAC Games in Jamaica and followed up with bronze at the British Commonwealth Games in Australia later that year.

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By Duncan Mackay at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg

Critics of Jamaica's anti-doping programme which has cast a shadow over the achievements of the likes of Usain Bolt are "uninformed" the head of the country's National Olympic Committee has claimed here.

Mike Fennell, head of the Jamaican Olympic Association (JOA), claimed the comments by senior figures like World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President John Fahey that they had "dropped the ball" damaged the reputation of Bolt, winner of three Olympic gold medals at both Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Fennell's comments came in light of a WADA report, presented to the organisation's ruling Executive Board here yesterday, which found that following a visit to Kingston last month the anti-doping programme run by the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) is compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code.

"A lot of the comments that are being made are not just unfortunate but uninformed and not really related to the facts," Fennell told insidethegames at the World Conference on Doping in Sport.

"We have some weaknesses that have been corrected.

"The integrity of our testing programme has been proved and, therefore, this is just something we are going to strengthen.

"Work is being done to get outside assistance to see not just how we can not just strengthen the work of JADCO but raise the bar in terms of their professional activities and efficiency.

"All of this is being done."

Fennell claimed it was wrong that doubts were being cast over Bolt and other top Jamaican sprinters, who finished third overall in the medals at this year's International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Moscow with six gold medals.

"All our top international stars are continuously being tested because they are in the registered testing pool of the international federation," he said.

"The IAAF have confirmed that they athletes have been tested regularly and continuously."

There had been new doubt cast over Jamaica's anti-programme earlier this week when Dr Paul Wright, JADCO's senior doping control officer, had told the BBC in an interview that the doping problems the country is currently experiencing could be just the "tip of the iceberg".

It followed comments made earlier this year to American magaizine Sports Illustrated by JADCO's former executive director Renee Anne Shirley that the agency conducted just one out-of-competition test in the six months leading up to London 2012.

Jamaica's Sports Minister Natalie Neita-Headley defended her country's anti-doping programme but did acknowledge there were some areas they could improve.

"We do have some weaknesses and we will work towards strengthening them and ensuring that where there are gaps we will fill them," she told insidethegames.

But she claimed people were forgetting that Jamaica's Olympic heritage stretched back to London 1948 when they made their debut in the Games and won three medals, including a gold for Arthur Wint in the 400 metres

"We have a long and illustrious history of success in sport," Neita-Headley

"It's not an overnight thing.

"There is no-one who is familiar with athletics who can say that Jamaica has only come onto the world [stage] in recent times.

"Those who understand the process would know we have an institutionalised system in Jamaica that allows us to continue to produce good athletes who are keen on not cheating."

Neita-Headley claimed that a spate of recent high-profile positive drug cases, including former world 100m record holder Asafa Powell, were as the result of "accidental" doping.

"I believe we have had some unfortunate incidents with supplements," she said.

"We have a duty of education that will need to be ramped up in the near future."

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Kit McConnell is joining the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as its new sports director, leaving his current role as head of the Rugby World Cup, it was announced today.

The 40-year-old New Zealander will replace Christophe Dubi, due to become the new IOC's Executive Director of the Olympics when Gilbert Felli retires after Sochi 2014.

McConnell has held his role at the International Rugby Board (IRB) for 10 years having previously worked on the Olympics and Paralympics at Sydney 2000, where he was the operations manager for sports manager.

"It has been a wonderful 10 years at the IRB and it has been an honour and a privilege to have worked alongside so many talented and dedicated people to help deliver some very special Rugby World Cups in Australia [2003], France [2007] and New Zealand [2011] that have played a major part in the growth and profile of rugby worldwide," said McConnell.

The IRB are now looking to appoint a replacement for McConnell.

He is confident that preparations for the 2015 World Cup in England will not be affected by his departure.

"These are exciting times for Rugby World Cup and rugby and I am sure I am leaving with the foundations firmly in place to ensure that England 2015 is an exceptional success on and off the field," said McConnell.

"We have built a strong and highly experienced team and a superb partnership with England Rugby 2015 and the RFU (Rugby Football Union).

"This will ensure a very special event and the ongoing growth and strength of the Rugby World Cup brand."

McConnell will begin his new post with the IOC in January after overseeing a transitional process within the IRB's Rugby World Cup department.

"Kit has achieved much during his 10 years at the IRB," said Bernard Lapasset, the IRB chairman.

"He has played a major role in helping Rugby World Cup go from strength to strength.

"We are once again on track to achieve our aim of breaking new markets, attracting record audiences and cementing our showcase event amongst the biggest and most successful major global sports events.

"Kit leaves with the foundations firmly in place for the success story to continue at England 2015 and Japan 2019.

"I would like to thank him for his enormous contribution and wish him all the very best in his new role with our friends at the IOC and look forward to working with him as we prepare for our Olympic Games return at Rio 2016."

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A former senior Fifa executive has issued a passionate call for a wide-ranging debate over the future of the game before the governing body's next presidential election in 2015, warning that a "coronation" for any candidate could be disastrous for football.

Jérôme Champagne, a former French diplomat who spent 11 years at Fifa in a variety of roles including deputy general secretary before being ousted in 2010 in a coup led by the later tarnished Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam, is also pondering whether to stand himself.

"The 2015 election will be a very, very, very important moment because that election will determine football until 2025 or 2030. I don't know when I will decide. It's not the moment, because we need to know what is going to happen. We need a debate," Champagne told the Guardian. "For the moment I can't answer the question. I don't rule out anything, but I have not decided yes or no. 2015 will be a decisive moment, for me it's clear."

Blatter had previously said that his fourth term would be his last but the Swiss looks increasingly likely to stand again. Michel Platini, meanwhile, was long considered Blatter's natural successor but the Uefa president appears beleaguered by a string of problems. Both have said they will make their intentions clear after next year's World Cup finals in Brazil.

Champagne said it was too early to decide whether to stand himself but, having advised football associations in trouble spots from Palestine to Kosovo to Northern Cyprus in the past two years, was confident he would meet the necessary criteria. They include having held an active role in football for two of the past five years and nominations from at least five of Fifa's 209 members.

Given the scale of the challenges facing the sport and Fifa, under fire in recent years over long-standing corruption allegations and the chaotic process that culminated in the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, Champagne believes it is vital that there is a proper debate about the game's future and that of its governing body. He said: "There is a need for new impetus, fresh air, new vision and some momentum. But at the same time keeping what has been done correctly for 40 years – the universalisation of the game, the development programme. We need a stronger Fifa."

Champagne proposes a rebalancing of the all-powerful executive committee to give the Fifa president a working majority and make it more representative of the game as a whole by including national associations, players' organisations, clubs and leagues.

"The life and blood of football is when Saturday comes, not when Wednesday night comes. You can't run football in the 21st century if you don't have representatives of the leagues on the inside."

Champagne said there were a range of serious issues facing the game that were simply not being debated.

"Football is becoming more and more unbalanced between continents, between countries and between clubs. There are distortions in terms of concentration of money, concentration of players and concentration of success.

"The second phenomenon is that football is becoming more and more privatised. It is more and more controlled by private individuals and even governments. Third, the football structures and sports structures have lost a lot of credibility.

"Stir all that in the pot and you have to decide if you want football to become like basketball with one or two leagues becoming the NBA and Fifa becoming like Fiba, without any regulating power. Or do we want a globalisation that is successful for everyone? It's not about putting the toothpaste back in the tube, but about making sure everyone benefits. To do that, we need a world governing body that is more proactive, more respected, more democratic."

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A lengthy drought for T&T’s men’s sevens rugby team finally came to an end on Sunday, when it was crowned Caribbean champion of the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Sevens in the Cayman Islands, which earned the team its first ever spot in the Hong Kong and Commonwealth Sevens in 2014.

The Larry Mendez-coached men and Simone Andrews-Nero-led women’s teams were successful both taking third spot in their respective Cup competition, with wins over Barbados (14–5) and Cayman Islands (14–7), in the last four stages. Regional powerhouse Canada took both the men and women’s events with one-sided wins. Canada defended its title with a 27–5 win over USA Falcons in the men’s final, while Canada’s women took the title with a 51–0 thrashing of Mexico, in their final.

For the T&T men, their efforts also saw them qualify for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, alongside Canada. Both T&T’s men and women’s teams also qualified for the 2014 Casco Games in Veracruz, Mexico. Guyana, the powerhouse of the Caribbean and three-time Nacra Sevens champion, previously represented the region at the Hong Kong Sevens and the Commonwealth Games, but the team failed to do so this time around after missing the Nacra Sevens tournament due to administrative issues.

T&T’s men qualified for the knockout stage of the Nacra Cup competition after finishing second in Pool B, under USA Falcons, the eventual finalist.

The Calypso Warriors opened the group stage on Saturday with a 36–5 win over Curacao, followed by another one-sided victory over host, the Cayman Islands, 26–7.

The team then suffered its first loss, a heavy 31–0 defeat to USA. T&T then went on to play Pool C runner-up Bermuda, then took a 17-12 win to go on to meet Canada Maple Leafs, in the first semifinal. T&T lost the match 38–0.

The second semifinal was between Barbados and USA Falcons, which the latter team took 26–5.

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Bovell takes 3rd in World Cup 50 free

Top Trinidad and Tobago swimmer George Bovell splashed to another medal, this time a bronze on the second and final day of the FINA Swimming World Cup Series in Tokyo, Japan yesterday.
Bovell achieved the feat in his pet event, the Men’s 50m freestyle on the seventh and penultimate leg of the series.
Bovell placed third behind longtime rival, Russian Vladimir Morozov who completed the two-lap sprint in a fast 20.72 seconds. USA’s 2000 Sydney Olympic gold medallist Anthony Ervin copped the silver in 20.10 with Bovell good enough to hold on for the bronze in 21.21. The time was Bovell’s third fastest in the event this year, behind his 21.19 in Berlin in the second leg and 21.20 in Singapore in the sixth leg last week.
Three-time Olympian Roland Schoeman of South Africa was fourth (21.24) while Brazil’s Nicholas Santos (21.27), Japan’s Kenta Ito (21.36), Poland’s Konrad Czerniak (21.50) and Japan’s Miguelgen Ozeki (21.54) rounded out the final.
Earlier in the morning preliminaries, Bovell qualified second fastest when he won heat six (21.37). Morozov was the fastest qualifier with a 21.02 effort in winning the eighth and final heat.
The 30-year-old Athens Olympic bronze medallist, increased his medal haul to date in the Cup to 12 (one gold, four silver and seven bronze), while his two-year haul at the World Cup is now up to 28 medals (ten gold, 11 silver and six bronze) from 29 finals. Last year, he won 16 medals, (nine gold and seven silver) but this year has proved to be more competitive, with the participation of 2013 World Champs Men’s 50m silver medalist Morozov and the 2012 London Olympic Men’s 50 free champion France’s Florent Manaudou.
Bovell, also a multiple Pan Am Games and CAC Games medallist, will conclude this year’s FINA Swimming World Cup campaign with the last leg in Beijing, China from November 13-14.

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Japan, Hong Kong, Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados have all booked their places at the HSBC Sevens World Series core team qualifier to be played at the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2014.

From the 2013/14 season a two-stage promotion and relegation process comes into effect for the World Series, with promotion to core team status for the 2014/15 campaign to be decided at round seven of this Series in Hong Kong.

There, 12 regional qualifiers will battle for the one promotion place on offer in a separate 12-team competition, and the four nations have booked their places after finishing in the top two positions of their respective regional events.

Japan beat Hong Kong 24-19 in the Cup final of the Singapore Sevens, the fourth and final round of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series 2013, to win the Singapore title and also claim back the Series title from Hong Kong. They finish one and two in the Asian region.

Meanwhile, at the North American & Caribbean (NACRA) Rugby Sevens championship for 2013 both Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados performed heroics to win through to the Cup semi finals. Although both sides lost - to Canada and USA - they progress to Hong Kong as the two highest-ranked non-core teams.

Trinidad & Tobago won their third place play-off 14-5 to finish as Caribbean champions and qualify not only for Hong Kong but also for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as the region's second representative, alongside Canada.

They join European sides Russia and Italy as well as Oceania qualifiers Cook Islands and American Samoa in the 12-team Hong Kong competition.

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Munich will not bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics after local citizens voted against it in a referendum held today.

Voters rejected the plan in all four areas where polls were held, including Traunstein and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where some events would have been held if Munich hosted the Games..

"I think it was not a problem with a concept but rather a growing criticism of parts of the population with mega sports events," said Munich Mayor Christian Ude.

Munich bid hopefuls needed to win all four elections in the communities where the Games would have been held but instead lost all four of them, some heavily.

Strong opposition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen during Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics had undermined that campaign with the Games being awarded to South Korea's Pyeongchang.

But the plans had been changed for this bid so that fewer events would have been held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

But the mountain resort, which hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics after Adolf Hitler forced the two communities of Garmisch and Partenkirchen to join together into one town, was still against the idea of a new bid, voting 51.56 per cent against it with 48.44 backing it.

Munich residents voted 52 per cent against the bid while citizens in Traunstein were even less enthusiastic about it with close to 60 per cent against.

The result was a major disappointment to German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) officials who believed that they stood an outstanding chance of winning if they had bid.

"Unfortunately, this is in our view a missed opportunity," Tweeted Michael Vesper, director general of the DOSB.

Alfons Hörmann, who is set to replace new International Olympic Committee (IOC) head Thomas Bach as President of the DOSB next month, also took to Twitter to express his upset.

"The result makes us sad, especially the athletes. But now there is clarity," Tweeted the President of the German Ski Federation (DSV).

The result will inevitably be interpreted as an embarrassment for Bach, who had led Munich's unsuccessful bid for 2018 and who had been elected to replace Jacques Rogge as IOC President in September.

"The vote is not a signal against the sport, but against the non-transparency and the greed for profit of the IOC," said Ludwig Hartmann, who represents the Green Party in the Landtag of Bavaria, the State Legislature.

"I think all possible Olympic bids in Germany are now out of question.

"The IOC has to change first.

"It's not the venues that have to adapt to the IOC, but the other way around,"

Munich's absence will leave the race wide open and could help persuade Stockholm enter it.

The Swedish capital is due to make a decision tomorrow about whether to bid or not.

There are so far five confirmed bidders.

Almaty in Kazakhstan, Lviv in Ukraine and Norwegian capital Oslo will all presented single city bids.

There are also two joint bids, Beijing and Zhangjiakou in China and one from Poland and Slovakia, with Krakow as its centre.

The deadline set by the IOC for cities to declare an interest in bidding is next Thursday (November 14).

Munich is the second city to be ruled out of the race following a referendum.

In March St Moritz and Davos were forced to drop their plans for a bid after citizens in Graubünden canton voted 52.66 per cent to 47.34 per cent to decide against approving funding for the campaign.

"Environmental conscience and love of the home country of the citizens defeat commercialism and gigantism," said Hubert Weiger, chair of the Bavarian Nature Association, whose group was a staunch opponent of another Munich bid.

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The 2013 North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Sevens takes place on 9-10 November at the Truman Bodden National Stadium in the Cayman Islands, affording all 12 men's teams a golden opportunity.

For the region's powerhouse nations, USA and Canada, the tournament offers a chance to blood new players and broaden the countries' player base ahead of the second and third rounds of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai and South Africa later in November.

“Training has been really exciting, getting to know all the guys. It's been fun watching and learning from the guys on the team with years of experience,” said Theo Sauder, the youngest member of Canada's squad. “We're really starting to come together as a team and it should be exciting to see us hit the field full stride in the Caymans."


Canada will start in the Caymans as defending NACRA champions and face Barbados, Bahamas and Turks & Caicos in the pool stages. USA, meanwhile, face group games against Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman and Curacao while Mexico line up with Jamaica, Bermuda and British Virgin Islands in Pool C.

Hong Kong beckons

While USA and Canada are certainly expected to contest the final, for the other sides there is a triple incentive to perform well.

Most significantly, the two highest-ranked sides outside USA and Canada will book places to compete in Hong Kong at round seven of the World Series, the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. There they will compete in a 12-team qualifying competition to be played alongside the main Series event, with the winner booking automatic promotion to core team status on the 2014/15 HSBC Sevens World Series.

As well as the World Series incentive, the tournament doubles as a qualifier for the 2014 CACSO Games in Veracruz, Mexico. The top four men's Caribbean teams will join hosts Mexico, while the top three Women's teams plus Mexico, will compete in 2014.

In addition, the top men's Commonwealth team at the NACRA Sevens is likely to be invited to participate in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, along with Canada.

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