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Put an end to Games mutiny
published: Wednesday | August 6, 2008
DEJA VU. Sydney madness has returned eight years on in Beijing; there's mutiny in the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Jamaica[/COLOR][/COLOR] Olympic camp.
Just when everything appeared all so rosy with the country set for a record [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]medal[/COLOR][/COLOR] haul, news broke yesterday on a [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]radio[/COLOR][/COLOR] programme here and also in a published report on the website sportingeagle.com, that members of the MVP camp never turned up for Jamaica's relay practise on Monday.
The national team's manager at the Games, Ludlow Watts, stated that everyone turned up for practice, but the MVP athletes.
They appear to have acted on instructions from their coach, Stephen Francis, based on the contents of a letter signed by three of the club's runners that it was not convenient for them to practise relay work.
It involves former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, Michael Frater and Shelly-Ann Frazer.
The letter is said to have stated that they should not participate in relay practices involving baton changes unless they were standing, walking or jogging.
Francis had stated his disagreement with the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) about matters relating to him handling his athletes and needing more time to deal with them in a camp for MVP athletes only leading into the Olympics.
Accreditation
Don Anderson, head of Jamaica's delegation at the Olympics, said Francis also returned his accredi-tation to the national team's management upon his arrival in Beijing. The accreditation gave the coach access to his athletes at the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]training[/COLOR][/COLOR] facility, but not the athletes' village.
It's not the first time that Francis has had disagreements with the JAAA. It is not the first time that they have had this type of problem regarding relay events at the Olympics. At the last Games in Athens, one of his athletes, Sherone Simpson, defied his orders and ended up contributing to Jamaica's sprint relay gold medal success.
Francis is a top of the line coach, one who has shown exceptional qualities in honing talent to develop successful athletes in different disciplines - sprints, sprint hurdles, 400 hurdles and even high jump.
His athletes are highly successful, truly world class and form a strong camp. Based on this strength, the MVP camp may be of the belief that it can force the JAAA, and by extension the country's hand, however it wants.
It must not be tolerated.
When the MVP athletes come to the Olympics they are part of the Jamaica team. That means they fall under the jurisdiction of the JAAA, the ruling body for the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]sport[/COLOR][/COLOR] in this country.
Right now, the JAAA is faced with a crisis and it needs to act swiftly before it swells to the proportions of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, when several members of the team held a demonstration because track queen Merlene Ottey, who finished fourth at the trials, was allowed to run the 100 metres ahead of national champion Peta-Gaye Dowdie.
more:
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...s/sports3.html
Put an end to Games mutiny
published: Wednesday | August 6, 2008
DEJA VU. Sydney madness has returned eight years on in Beijing; there's mutiny in the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Jamaica[/COLOR][/COLOR] Olympic camp.
Just when everything appeared all so rosy with the country set for a record [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]medal[/COLOR][/COLOR] haul, news broke yesterday on a [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]radio[/COLOR][/COLOR] programme here and also in a published report on the website sportingeagle.com, that members of the MVP camp never turned up for Jamaica's relay practise on Monday.
The national team's manager at the Games, Ludlow Watts, stated that everyone turned up for practice, but the MVP athletes.
They appear to have acted on instructions from their coach, Stephen Francis, based on the contents of a letter signed by three of the club's runners that it was not convenient for them to practise relay work.
It involves former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, Michael Frater and Shelly-Ann Frazer.
The letter is said to have stated that they should not participate in relay practices involving baton changes unless they were standing, walking or jogging.
Francis had stated his disagreement with the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) about matters relating to him handling his athletes and needing more time to deal with them in a camp for MVP athletes only leading into the Olympics.
Accreditation
Don Anderson, head of Jamaica's delegation at the Olympics, said Francis also returned his accredi-tation to the national team's management upon his arrival in Beijing. The accreditation gave the coach access to his athletes at the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]training[/COLOR][/COLOR] facility, but not the athletes' village.
It's not the first time that Francis has had disagreements with the JAAA. It is not the first time that they have had this type of problem regarding relay events at the Olympics. At the last Games in Athens, one of his athletes, Sherone Simpson, defied his orders and ended up contributing to Jamaica's sprint relay gold medal success.
Francis is a top of the line coach, one who has shown exceptional qualities in honing talent to develop successful athletes in different disciplines - sprints, sprint hurdles, 400 hurdles and even high jump.
His athletes are highly successful, truly world class and form a strong camp. Based on this strength, the MVP camp may be of the belief that it can force the JAAA, and by extension the country's hand, however it wants.
It must not be tolerated.
When the MVP athletes come to the Olympics they are part of the Jamaica team. That means they fall under the jurisdiction of the JAAA, the ruling body for the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]sport[/COLOR][/COLOR] in this country.
Right now, the JAAA is faced with a crisis and it needs to act swiftly before it swells to the proportions of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, when several members of the team held a demonstration because track queen Merlene Ottey, who finished fourth at the trials, was allowed to run the 100 metres ahead of national champion Peta-Gaye Dowdie.
more:
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...s/sports3.html
