The Bentley saga continues

Aug 09, 2009 Sports

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By Edison Jefford

A sewer was broken and the contents threaten to destroy the characters of individuals and the Guyana Cycling Federation if those superior authorities such as the Ministry of Sport do not immediately intervene to save the sport.
The handling of the Jude Bentley issue has proven that there exists a dysfunctional sports federation in the form of the cycling body. This is appalling since this association is more concerned with personalities than management.
The cycling federation has shelved the proliferation of the sport for an obsession with the apology of Bentley, who cycling officials has told that he must publicly express his regret before he gets his license to ride in Guyana.
I have not taken on this matter in the media for personal reasons but for the sole purpose of exposing the injustice that is being perpetrated against one of Guyana’s best cyclists as a form of permanently crippling his career.
I have investigated this matter thoroughly as a critical writer and I have concluded that it is nothing short of a national scandal to have a national sport association withholding the permit of an athlete to compete without reasons.
There is definitely need for the intervention of the Ministry of Sport through the National Sports Commission into this matter in a mediatory capacity before this stench cripples the characters of supposed sport professionals.
Bentley has written to the cycling federation on three occasions this year requesting that a licence be issued to him to compete here. The presiding federation has not even offered a common courtesy in the form of a response.

Kaieteur Sport recently contacted the cycling federation’s President, Hector Edwards and he made it clear that he “would refrain from any discourse on the matter” since he thinks that he has “often” been “misinterpreted”.
So you have a national federation that refuses to licence a leading rider without basis and one that also refuses to comment or give its view on the subject. In normal societies these kinds of behavioural patterns are not permitted.
The cycling federation can claim its autonomy but every sport association in this country should be accountable to the Ministry of Sport and National Sport Commission. There is now need for an understanding of functions.
There is an example of functional intervention that is worth mentioning because it speaks of the role of Government in situations like these. The Jamaican Administration recently issued to the clarion call to national associations.
The Ministry there told national associations that their programmes and ideas must pass a stringent set of criterion before they are implemented, since when allowed to administrate on their own, they are “embarrassing” the country.
Government needs to mediate in this matter and call the cycling federation into question since its behaviour is threatening to embarrass Guyana. The matter has already reached the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation.

There are reasons why observers do not respect our sports men and women. Charity starts at home and if national associations do not respect local athletes, one cannot expect those international federations to esteem them.
Bentley’s lawyer, Ronald Burch-Smith had written to Edwards in a letter dated February 18, 2009 requesting answers to three questions. Seven months have elapsed and there has not been a response to the penned inquiry.
The three questions included: “Identify any pending disciplinary proceedings against Mr.  Bentley and what he must do to comply with them”, “what criteria must Bentley fulfil to qualify for a license to ride in Guyana” and “in relation to the licence, please say what criteria Mr. Bentley does not fulfil?”
Bentley suspects that the non-issuance of his licence may be related to the fact that he is being accused of creating fracas among cyclist and blocking one of the two races he tried to compete at earlier this year in the National Park.
That was not the only reason he informed in relation to the sport. It was among the other reasons he suspected. Bentley and Burch-Smith may take legal action against the cycling federation if the matter is not settled amicably.
He stated that the cyclists were independently protesting against the current sub-standard state of local cycling. This newspaper has learnt from its reported, who was present at the time, that Bentley’s story is an accurate account.  His difficulties with the Guyana Cycling Federation started three years ago when he came back from the Commonwealth Games in Australia.
The Disciplinary Committee of the federation met on May 23 and 30 in 2006 to penalise Bentley and Warren McKay after reported indiscipline on their way to, and at the Games as part of Guyana’s national contingent.
McKay and Bentley were both guilty of similar infractions but McKay received a lighter sentence: McKay was suspended for six months and fined $10,000 while his counterpart was suspended for one year and fined $30,000.
McKay paid his fine, served his sentence and is competitively riding to this date. Bentley, on the other hand, is still serving his sentence despite known attempts to pay his fine and return to competitive cycling in Guyana.

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