AAG defends selection of CARFITA Head Coach, team

Apr 05, 2014 Sports

By Edison Jefford
The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) yesterday defended the selection of their CARIFTA Games team Head Coach, Sham Johnny, whose character came under scrutiny last week. A press conference was held at Olympic House to address the issues.
“To the best of our knowledge, he was never charged for any behaviour that is being mentioned in the press. We cannot continue to operate on hear-say,” AAG President, Aubrey Hutson stated yesterday, in response to

AAG President, Aubrey Hutson (right) and Vice-President, Gavin Hope address the media at Olympic House yesterday.

Johnny’s alleged sexual improprieties.
Letter writers last week questioned the selection of Johnny as Head Coach, alleging that he was involved in a sexual matter that reached the Courts with a female student from North Ruimveldt Multilateral School among other acts of behavioural mischief.
But Hutson indicated that when he became President, he had consulted with past President, Colin Boyce, and Boyce told him that he has “no problem” with Johnny or any of the other Coaches. It is against such background Hutson said Johnny was selected.
According to the AAG President, he will not respond to any one letter writer, but rather contents of letters that are in the public domain. “I do not believe that the letter emanated from the Police Progressive Youth Club because I believe that they are learned people in that organisation. If I’m to respond to them through the media, I will be just as guilty,” he said.
Hutson informed that he is therefore treating the letter as if it did not come from them; the Police Progressive Youth Club had wrote one of the letters that appeared yesterday while another ardent supporter of athletics, who requested anonymity, had written another earlier this week, following the announcement and publication of the CARIFTA Games team.
In addition, issues relating to the actual selection of the team, which were also questioned, were dealt with yesterday. The AAG head told the media that four athletes made the qualification time they had set prior to the trials; they included Jason Yaw, Cassey George, Jevina Sampson and the jumper, Natricia Hooper.
Hutson said that the other athletes were selected based on specific development needs and where the association believes they have a chance of winning medals. Hutson informed that they were inclined to develop field events and a 4x400m relay team.
“We continue to not give field events a fair chance in our track and field. We had lost every field event at the Inter-Guiana Games. We want to rejuvenate that, and as such we are sending our top jumper, Kade Pearce, to demonstrate our commitment to field events,” he said.
On the subject of the other athletes selected, Hutson said that the AAG “looks beyond CARIFTA Games” and while some believe that Guyana’s strongest event is the distance events, the country has been doing well recently in the 400m event.