Was Straker robbed of an opportunity?

Jul 16, 2009 Sports

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The AAG owes this nation an explanation

By Edison Jefford
The public relations machinery of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) owes this country an explanation as it relates to the exclusion of Jevina Straker from the contingent that attended the World Youth Championships.
An unprecedented number of local athletes had qualified for the international competition that concluded on Monday in Bressanone, Italy, but only two of the four athletes attended, for reasons that the AAG must now clarify.
Jevina Straker won a Carifta gold medal in the 1500m Girls’ Under-17 final, while Jenella Jonas claimed bronze in the same race without achieving the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) qualifying mark.
However, the duo returned to record standards in the 800m event when they both ran under the qualifying 2:16.00 time. Ricardo Martin also became eligible for the event with his bronze medal in the boys’ 800m race.
Chavez Ageday was the other local athlete that qualified for the world youth competition in the boys’ 200m event. This was overwhelming news for a country that previously went to the meet as a non-qualifying participant.
Within the context of what obtains in sport in Guyana; poor corporate support along with improper infrastructure, the new AAG administration got due reward from their policy of fielding full-fledged teams to leading meets.

But there might have been some amount of oversight in managing the four athletes in the wake of their status with the IAAF after a press conference was held to inform the media, among other things, of a negative development.
Officials from the AAG including President Colin Boyce and Vice-President Cornel Rose told the media days after the Carifta medallists returned that only two of the four athletes would attend the World Youth Championships.
Boyce and Rose had two primary reasons. The first one was that Guyana’s status with the IAAF as a non-qualifying participant could not be changed before the meet therefore the two-athlete quota still applied from previous years.
The IAAF rules are clear in this regard: “[IAAF] Members who have no male and/or no female qualified athletes whom they wish to enter may enter one unqualified male athlete and/or one unqualified female athlete.”
That is in a situation where you have athletes who did not qualify. When athletes qualify, the window of opportunity to challenge that clause opens. Success or failure depends on the strength of the local association’s case.
Guyana had constantly participated within the framework above under the previous AAG administration. Boyce and Rose told the media that they tried to have the status changed but that proved futile ahead of the global meet.

The AAG had written the IAAF to inquire about their four athletes’ participation, but was informed that their status as a non-qualifier would be considered. However, that thought would not be possible before the youth contest. This newspaper has since learnt that the matter will be discussed at the Congress that will run in tandem with the World Championships in Berlin, Germany next month. Boyce will be Guyana’s delegate at that IAAF meeting.
The AAG was placed in a position where they had to decide on the two athletes that will represent Guyana at the just concluded World Youth Championships. It went with Martin and Jonas and the second reason was supplied.
Boyce and Rose said that Carifta gold medalist, Straker, who was their first choice, could not compete at World Youths because she was 15, and they were not wrong according to the IAAF rules but there must have been a window.
The IAAF rule on the subject of age eligibility states: “only athletes aged 16 or 17 on 31 December in the year of the competition (e.g. for the 2009 Championships, born in 1992 or 1993) may compete.” Straker became 15 in March.

However, after closely following the youth championships, it was observed that a few 15-year-old athletes from other countries competed. Jodie Williams, who won the 100m gold medal for Britain, was one such example.
No amount of research could have elucidated the reason(s) for a 15-year-old athlete from Britain being allowed to compete as opposed to one from Guyana. There are some things that the AAG concealed at that press conference.
The rationale behind the denial of Straker, based on her age, could hold in theory because of the IAAF official rules but practically, it was futile at the meet. The AAG must explain some important issues to the nation urgently.
First, what was the real reason for Straker being left off the team to Italy since it is known now that 15-year-olds can and did compete? Secondly, what is the level of representation being made to change Guyana’s international quota?
Further analysis, opinion and assumption will be saved for the AAG explanations, which will most likely surface when Jonas and Martin return from Italy, at the media conference that is normally held at Olympic House.a

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