Accusations of indiscipline cast damper on boxing team’s gold medal haul

Dec 18, 2016 Sports

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The sterling performances of local amateur boxers at the just concluded Caribbean

Development Boxing Tournament in Bridgetown Barbados has been dubbed as more than commendable and those ambassadors returned home to much pomp and ceremony. The group was met at the Eugene Correia International Airport by a large delegation inclusive of Junior Sports Minister, Nicolette Henry, Director of Sports, Christopher Jones and Presidents of the Guyana Olympics Association (GOA) and Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Juman Yassin and Steve Ninvalle, respectively.
While it is not the first time that boxers’ performances have elicited such admiration and respect, the total domination of the tournament certainly endorsed the kudos and acclamation meted out to the successful punchers.
However, the euphoria and celebrations were dampened by accusations of indiscipline leveled against Kevin Allicock, the team’s only silver medalist, while manager of the team, Maurice Rajkumar, was accused of being disrespectful to one of the organizers, Kathy Harper Hall.
Allicock was cited following an incident that occurred after his flyweight bout with Barbadian, Jabal Breedy. Officials in Barbados reported that after he was declared the loser, Allicock stormed out of the ring without performing the due courtesies to the opposition. He was admonished and asked to adhere to such protocol and while he did conform to the request, his attitude left much to be desired. “He came back into the ring with the medal in his back pocket, pulled it out and aggressively threw it around his opponent’s neck. Then on leaving the ring, he snatched it back in an aggressive manner,” the report concluded.

Mr. Rajkumar managed the team and reports are that he was involved in a face up with Ms Harper Hall and his attitude left much to be desired. “It is with much regret that I have to report the first incidents of gross indiscipline behaviour of any team official in my thirty-one years of involvement with the Caribbean Boxing family,” were Ms Harper’s introductory words in her missive to Ninvalle.
She went on to disclose that on the final night of the tournament the first row of the stage in the boxing arena was reserved for the VIPs who had indicated that they would have attended. Among those dignitaries were the (Barbados) Minister of Sports, President of AIBA, his Executive Director and his Personal Assistant, AIBA EC member, President and Secretary General of the Barbados Olympic Association. President of the Bahamas Olympic Association, former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force, President of the Barbados Boxing Board, President of the Barbados Boxing Association, and Chairman of the National Sports Council Board.
Ms Harper Hall further disclosed that throughout the tournament, an area was specially designated for all managers, coaches and their boxers. “Mr. Rajkumar sat in the reserved area on Thursday and Friday night and he was allowed to remain there because only a few of the VIPs attended on those nights,” explained Ms Harper Hall. She further explained that several of the other heads of the territorial associations were also occupying those seats and complied with the requests when asked to vacate the seats. They included the Presidents of the Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Martinique and Guadeloupe, who were in Barbados as managers of their respective teams.
She said that all of the dignitaries had affirmed their attendance to the finals and she had requested those gentlemen move over to the second row to accommodate the aforementioned dignitaries. “All of the others conformed to the request but Mr. Rajkumar took serious offence to being asked to change rows and became very abusive,” she complained.
“I was really taken aback at this behavior and even though other persons joined with me to try to reason with Mr. Rajkumar, he was unrelenting until someone brought an extra chair and placed it in the front row to accommodate him since he insisted that he must sit there,” related Harper. She said that Rajkumar eventually moved to the area designated for delegations but he kept on quarrelling even after he was upbraided by head coach, Sebert Blake.
The Barbadian has also leveled other allegations of misconduct against Rajkumar which dealt with a misunderstanding pertaining to the date of departure of the Guyanese team. This led to another dispute where Mr. Rajkumar displayed anger and was unreasonable in his demands. She said that officials of the Barbados Boxing Association mediated and managed to appease the situation before it reached a head.
When asked if an apology from Rajkumar would appease the situation Ms Harper Hall was very caustic, “I do not want an apology from Mr. Rajkumar, because I firmly believe that his was a willfully act. My one request therefore is that this is the last time that he is allowed to be around the Caribbean boxing family in any forum. We need role models for our young boxers and despite his great wealth he displayed unacceptable behaviours and it is incumbent on us to play our part in helping the young boxers in the region to achieve their goals.”
Kaieteur Sport sought a comment from Rajkumar and he debunked the allegations leveled at him. “Ms Harper’s missive is very disturbing and to my mind is punctuated with inaccurate representations which are a clear attack on my character and integrity,” he emphatically pronounced. He admitted that Harper Hall did request that he vacate the chair in the front row to accommodate the dignitaries. “I had been seated there for the first two nights and felt offended and humiliated to be removed on the final night,” he explained. However, he said that while he had protested against vacating the spot he had not been hostile in his approach. “I should have conceded to her request and accept as a visitor I should have complied and in this regard I apologize,” Mr. Rajkumar related in a release. He also said that Ms Harper Hall’s complaint contained many inaccuracies and fabrications “which I will avoid contesting as it would entail a lengthy manuscript.”
Responding to questions of his involvement in the sport Rajkumar declared, “Ms Harper could take a bow as she has won and deserves to stay with boxing, while I discreetly and unceremoniously take my leave.”
Meanwhile, Kaieteur Sport was unable to garner a response from Mr. Ninvalle who is currently attending an AIBA congress in Switzerland and should be back within a week.

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