AAG and the Power of Incompetence

Apr 14, 2023 Sports

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Kaieteur News – In Guyana, everyday life is rife with varying levels of incompetence and in the public space, the town hall of existence, this flourishing condition has found a venerated refuge.

On this episode of ‘Local Incompetence’, the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) makes another stellar appearance in what has become a common production.

Its leader, Aubrey Hutson, is a recurring character; a pantomime villain that has solidified his status as a major antagonist in this spectacle, which has evolved from a simple digest into an annual episodic spectacle.

This exposition has been in syndication for ages and the AAG’s latest appearance has its origin in its shambolic administration and organization of the Junior Carifta Games Team.

Though one expects the initiated to be Au Fait with the aforementioned catastrophe, a prologue will be ventilated for the sake of coherence, and to remove any sense of ambiguity.

The team, which are unwritten national ambassadors, were unable to arrive on local shores following the conclusion of the annual event that was staged in the Bahamas during the traditional Easter Weekend, owing to a lack of travel arrangements.

The absence of the aforementioned was compounded by the dearth of accommodations, which resulted in the athletes having to seek shelter in the homes of Guyanese nationals dwelling in Nassau, as they were essentially marooned on the island.

This absurdity was simply the culmination of incompetence, as several members were initially stranded in Cuba and only arrived in the 11th hour on the opening day of the competition via a late chartered flight.

The Government of Guyana (GOG) and its relevant sporting arms, the Ministry of Culture, Youth (MCYS), and Sports and the National Sports Commission (NSC), have undertaken the fiscal obligation in ensuring the team’s homecoming. This is against the backdrop of only being made aware of the athletes’ plight on Sunday evening.

Many questions from a curious but mostly angry populace must be answered by the AAG chief Hutson.

Why did the AAG wait until the 11th hour to try and acquire visas for the team? Why did the team arrive on the day of the tournament, and why weren’t the tickets bought weeks in advance of the event?

On the topic of sponsorship, it was reported that in the vicinity of 6 million was acquired by the association. While it is known that 3 million was given by the Guyana Olympic Association,  and 3 million came from the government of Guyana, where did the other 3 emanate from, and can all the garnered funds be accounted for?

In the same way, when did the AAG receive the monies from its donor but more importantly when did they commence their sponsorship drive given the traditionally established date of the competition is known to all and sundry?

By the same token, given the amount acquired in sponsorship, why weren’t ideal accommodations and travel arrangements finalized prior to the team’s departure? Continuing in a similar vein, was per diem afforded to the athletes and what was the amount?

More importantly, did the team travel to the Bahamas on one-way tickets, and was this done intentionally with the expectation that the government would foot the bill for the return fare under national duress?

The AAG under the stewardship of its current boss seems to have a predilection for incompetence. It’s almost like ineptitude has become a human quality in the AAG. Could ineptitude be Hutson’s superpower?

While sports administration has been an inexhaustible source of sins, there has been a certain kind of villainy associated with the AAG under its current leadership. Indisputably, this is not Hutson’s first rodeo; his first dabble with ineptness.

In recent memory, Hutson dropped the proverbial ball on the staging of the 50th edition of the Carifta Games on home soil which resulted in the Bahamas securing the rights for the recently concluded championship. Let’s not forget the 2022 Carifta Games Curacao debacle which is somewhat analogous to the current quandary or the South American Games ruination.

Regrettably, sports administration seems to have a magnetism with incompetent leaders. American author Orrin Woodward once said, “The problem with incompetence is its inability to recognize itself.”

While this certainly applies to the current AAG executive committee, it is also applicable to the relevant clubs and entities under the jurisdiction of the governing body, which seems based on a lack of corrective endeavour, comfortable in their current and empirically consistent condition, much to the detriment of the athletes.

Interestingly, the debacle has morphed into a political football underpinned by the ethnic reality of our existence.

However, in the spirit of objectivity, any politician, journalist, commentator, and/or social activist who ascribe fault to the GOG for the team’s present predicament, should have their head examined, as they are intellectually dishonest and deceptive.

The GOG, the MCYS, and the NSC past and present have had their fair share of warranted criticism for their handling and mismanagement of the sporting landscape especially on the national team front. However, this is not such a case or instance.

There is no conspiracy or stratagem by a diabolical conglomerate behind closed doors to denigrate any specific group or to foster influence and control by ushering in change via a concocted and protracted fiasco.

To favour and subscribe to such a belief is not only absurd but is to have partiality and overall fondness for overall incompetence. It also advocates for an excuse grounded in asininity and gives rise to suspicions of fostering ethnic narratives against what can be considered a soft target in the form of the GOG.

Are we that politically aligned and entrenched that we are willing to provide ineptitude and incompetence with safe haven and protection?

Peter Bergen, American Journalist once stated, “Incompetence is a better explanation than conspiracy in most human activity.”

Similarly, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, an English science fiction writer notably uttered, “Never attribute to malevolence what is merely due to incompetence”

The AAG and primarily President Hutson, are the only entities that should be held responsible for what has unfolded. The AAG failed its athletes again. Hutson failed the athletes once more. Period!

To revere incompetence, to normalize, assimilate, and excuse ineptitude under the premise of ethnic lines is distasteful and wrong! Change at the helm of the AAG is needed after years of ineptitude. The athletic community deserves this small mercy.

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• Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Aubrey Hutson, Cuba, Junior Carifta Games Team, stellar

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