Source: www.guardian.co.tt
By Andre E Baptiste
It is interesting, if not perplexing and disturbing, that Fathers Day passed off and with it, a weekend of disappointment as the promotion for fathers was as limp as the explanation by the Sports Company of T&T on the non-availability of the Hasely Crawford Stadium for the National Amateur Athletics Association’s Championships this weekend.
If you add the news that T&T’s senior cricket team will be involved in a six-team playoff to qualify for the Airtel Champions League, it is easy to understand why most fathers always believe they have more to do than their female counterparts. It is a travesty that those in control of the stadium were not equipped with enough information to plan this entire procedure better. There is no excuse for this mess-up, this shameful disregard for athletes and their association. Perhaps the much said association can also be blamed for being too trustworthy and too naïve in believing what was being stated openly by these high placed sporting officials both from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Sports Company.
It is also an indictment of the times that persons who are supposed to set the examples are the ones neglecting their duty to the sporting personnel of this country. It is so sad that many youngsters and their coaches who made numerous sacrifices for this championship will be disappointed because a few people who should have known better, did not do their homework. Chairman of the Sports Company, Rhett Chee Ping, will need to explain why his organisation released a notice to the media on Friday before talking with the governing NAAA. This goes against good corporate governance and since the Sports Company is a corporate organization, these procedures need to be adhered too. Chee Ping and his team failed to follow the correct protocol and his continual absence from these matters would suggest that he does not understand his role.
At a time when many are hoping sport will encourage youngsters to focus on what is good, we are now in a situation where there is more disappointment for our young athletes.In Hasely Crawford, Ato Boldon and Richard Thompson, we have shown we are up to world class and with dedication and some level of support, we can only get better. But on the evidence of the treatment meted out to the NAAA, something is wrong. Former Olympic medalist Edwin Skinner, now a leading coach, was very emotional on Isports Saturday on i95.5fm and offered the view that “athletics was being treated like the bastard child.”
This was not a man with a vendetta but instead was someone thinking about “how would I tell the young athletes who were still not aware of this matter, that all of their training for the Hasely Crawford Stadium would be in vain...” It is difficult to understand why people cannot understand that young athletes consider the stadium as the “mecca” of athletics and not only because of the certification issue, but because of the image, prestige and pride associated with running there. The news, confirmed by the NAAA, that their leading officials were not allowed into the stadium to view the state of the surface being installed was very sad and typical of someone who is insecure about the quality of their work.
This is not in the best interest of the sports. Many times we have to believe that those in authority take their positions for granted and ignore the responsibility assigned to them. Renowned athlete Ato Boldon who was also on Isports was particularly disappointed in the NAAA, for not establishing a contingency plan in the wake of what was clearly shoddy planning and a lot of introspection of how they operate in the future. Boldon was certainly not surprised by the consistent lack of care to athletics and is warning organisations to be wary of the words of officials in sports based on history.
In my view, Boldon is 150 per cent correct, there is little doubt that most persons in sports just say what they think you want to hear, but do not check the facts. Perhaps it is time for the NAAA to be more aggressive and not as timid in its relationship with those in authority. This is a lesson for all sporting administrations. While you may depend on the Ministry and Sportt for subventions and grants, it does not mean that you have to accept everything that is said, when you are certain it is wrong or will have a negative impact in the long run, just for the sake of money. Honesty and integrity should not be sold for a few dollars. Therefore no sporting organization should be able to dictate who gets the award of a contract or not based on friendship or personal involvement. That is a clear cut “conflict of interest” and must be treated as that.
Current Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anil Roberts, will want to sort out this apparent war between the NAAA and the stadium. He will not want to be remembered as the “Minister of modern time” who presided over the cancellation of a national athletics championships in the year of the World Championships and the year before the Olympic Games. Roberts, unlike his predecessor Gary Hunt, is considered a man who knows about sports and has a fervent love for it so therefore these mistakes cannot be easily forgiven or erased. In the context of all that is happening around him at the moment, the Minister may be forgiven for not clearly understanding the facts.
Whatever the reason or the rationale, this entire event is distasteful and leaves a sour taste. Whether it is through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ashwin Creed, chairman of the Sportt, Rhett Chee Ping, or Minister Roberts, there is a need to clear up this unfortunate situation. This country, the NAAA and our young athletes, in particular, deserve better. There are still too many unanswered questions in this episode. They are far too uncomfortable for the good of sport. Minister Roberts must not allow his office to be embroiled in something as distasteful as this incident. The Hasely Crawford Stadium is for out athletes. Let us honour that!