Choose on merit not affiliation

Feb 24, 2014 Sports

By Rawle Welch
The mere fact that only thirteen (13) out of thirty-three national associations or federations bothered to submit nominations for national awards should be serve as evidence enough to rouse the National Sports Commission (NSC) into examining why less than half of the sporting bodies ignored its plea to nominate outstanding sports personalities.
Many administrators have complained about the absence of proper criteria and the influence of those within the Commission to have personalities of their choice win the coveted awards.
The awards which should be given to athletes and sports personalities, who’ve performed outstandingly over the twelve months, have been reduced to a farce as evidenced by the poor response of a majority of the associations and federations.
Every year, there is the constant lament about persons winning the awards who’re not deserving of the accolade, but are considered close to some within the commission and this perception has caused many administrators to become disinterested in offering nominees for the awards.
Just like previous years, the general view is that many on the panel who are tasked with the responsibility to vote during the process to declare a winner in the respective categories are not comfortable with the criteria used to come up with the winners.
While, I will not get into identifying some of the categories that clearly shows bias or a lack of the facts of what transpired over the year, it must be noted that until a more transparent format is created, the numbers in terms of submissions will continue to fall.
It seems a waste of time for administrators to produce the hard evidence of athletes and personalities superior performances over others only to see it discarded in favour of those obvious links.
The exercise has become an embarrassment, forcing Director of Sport Neil Kumar to chide some delinquent associations and federations about their tardiness in submitting nominations, while those who did not, did not escape his wrath.
There are quite a few eminent individuals on the panel and while I have not had the privilege of witnessing the process, the overwhelming feedback offered by many persons directly and indirectly linked to the procedure agrees that it leaves an avenue for suspicion of preference.
The national award should be earned through hard work and sacrifice, nothing less and when those who’ve satisfied these two criteria are overlooked it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of all.
I will not even go into the rebuke that was committed on Kaieteur News Sports reporters, but to say that the sole nomination of Franklin Wilson in the photography segment highlights the problem the national sports awards is facing right now.
Could it be because we are seen as opposing the status quo, thereby rendering us non-starters for the accolade?
The question becomes pertinent because many on the panel will be hard pressed to pinpoint any area of weakness in the dispensation of our duties in relation to covering sports.
I will not attempt to speak for my colleagues, but like so many sports administrators, I have no interest now or in the future of vying for the award.
I sincerely hope that by the time the selection for the next national awards come around; members on the panel will have more flexibility and independence to choose nominees on merit and nothing else.

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