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EDITORIAL - The embarrassment of Berlin
Published: Friday | August 14, 2009
The brouhaha between a number of Jamaican athletes and the local governing body on the eve of the World Championships was, to say the least, highly embarrassing to this country and its place as a global athletic power.
In the first place, that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) felt empowered to intervene, and that the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) acquiesced to the IAAF's request for the athletes to participate in the games, could well be interpreted by some as an inability on the part of Jamaica athletics authorities to handle its own affairs.
The matter also raises for the IAAF, with its increasing insistence on discipline and fair play in sport, where its issues of principle and opportunism converge or diverge.
But more immediately for Jamaica, this week's issue again underlines the need for an approach to the management of athletics that does justice to the country's status; one that is structured, fair, disciplined and predictable, eschewing hubris, ego, and wars of petty personalities, which was very much in evidence these past few days. Mr Steven Francis, we perceive, gorged on a heavy dose of this bilious potion.
The proximate cause of the imbroglio was the failure of Mr Francis' quintet - Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Shericka Williams and Kalise Spencer - to attend a pre-games training camp, which the JAAA declared to be mandatory and of which it said all athletes ought to have known.
Mr Francis claims to have been ignorant that the camp was mandatory, but then went into a hubris-laden excoriation of its facilities and organisation. And when the JAAA announced a withdrawal of the athletes, it was Mr Francis' contention that it was all a personal attack on himself because, we suppose, of his sublime coaching skills.
The fact that Mr Francis is a great coach is unquestionable. On other matters, though, and in particular his relations with the JAAA, we are wont to question his judgement. We have seen a similar playbook before. Recall last year in Beijing.
Then, as now, and before, the JAAA was forced to back down; in this instance because of the IAAF's concerns that the absence of stars such as Mr Powell, Ms Fraser and Ms Walker would hurt the championship; not because of adherence to fundamental principles, or that it believed natural justice was at stake.
We are willing to give Mr Francis the benefit of the doubt that such camps are unnecessary and disruptive, and that he can better prepare his athletes in an environment of his own creation. That would probably be to the benefit of Jamaica.
But Mr Francis cannot - which appears to have been the case - impose his personal intent by fiat, oblivious of the programme and/or expectations of the governing body. Not unless Mr Francis presumes anarchy is best, or that he is engaged in creative destruction.
The athletes, too, are not children or sheep to be uncritically led around. We expect them to be of rational thought and principled action. They failed, to us, on these counts.
The JAAA must once and for all sort this matter out like intelligent adults, taking into account all views. Jamaican athletics is, after all, larger than the squaring off of bruised egos and management by hubris.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
Published: Friday | August 14, 2009
The brouhaha between a number of Jamaican athletes and the local governing body on the eve of the World Championships was, to say the least, highly embarrassing to this country and its place as a global athletic power.
In the first place, that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) felt empowered to intervene, and that the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) acquiesced to the IAAF's request for the athletes to participate in the games, could well be interpreted by some as an inability on the part of Jamaica athletics authorities to handle its own affairs.
The matter also raises for the IAAF, with its increasing insistence on discipline and fair play in sport, where its issues of principle and opportunism converge or diverge.
But more immediately for Jamaica, this week's issue again underlines the need for an approach to the management of athletics that does justice to the country's status; one that is structured, fair, disciplined and predictable, eschewing hubris, ego, and wars of petty personalities, which was very much in evidence these past few days. Mr Steven Francis, we perceive, gorged on a heavy dose of this bilious potion.
The proximate cause of the imbroglio was the failure of Mr Francis' quintet - Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Shericka Williams and Kalise Spencer - to attend a pre-games training camp, which the JAAA declared to be mandatory and of which it said all athletes ought to have known.
Mr Francis claims to have been ignorant that the camp was mandatory, but then went into a hubris-laden excoriation of its facilities and organisation. And when the JAAA announced a withdrawal of the athletes, it was Mr Francis' contention that it was all a personal attack on himself because, we suppose, of his sublime coaching skills.
The fact that Mr Francis is a great coach is unquestionable. On other matters, though, and in particular his relations with the JAAA, we are wont to question his judgement. We have seen a similar playbook before. Recall last year in Beijing.
Then, as now, and before, the JAAA was forced to back down; in this instance because of the IAAF's concerns that the absence of stars such as Mr Powell, Ms Fraser and Ms Walker would hurt the championship; not because of adherence to fundamental principles, or that it believed natural justice was at stake.
We are willing to give Mr Francis the benefit of the doubt that such camps are unnecessary and disruptive, and that he can better prepare his athletes in an environment of his own creation. That would probably be to the benefit of Jamaica.
But Mr Francis cannot - which appears to have been the case - impose his personal intent by fiat, oblivious of the programme and/or expectations of the governing body. Not unless Mr Francis presumes anarchy is best, or that he is engaged in creative destruction.
The athletes, too, are not children or sheep to be uncritically led around. We expect them to be of rational thought and principled action. They failed, to us, on these counts.
The JAAA must once and for all sort this matter out like intelligent adults, taking into account all views. Jamaican athletics is, after all, larger than the squaring off of bruised egos and management by hubris.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
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