NSC, GOA issue unprecedented joint statement after reading riot act to Swimming Association

Sep 10, 2024 Sports

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Kaieteur Sports – The National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) have in an unprecedented move issued a joint statement in regards to the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) and its operation.

Over time, several complaints have been raised in relation to the operation of the GASA and what some perceived as unfair treatment meted out to them, with the matter eventually attracting the attention of the two major governing sports bodies locally.  Some issues were also ventilated to the media by persons in the swimming circles who alleged unfairness in the sport. The two bodies decided to impose serious sanctions on the GASA and to engage the world body, World Aquatics, on the developments with the sport here in Guyana.

The release from the NSC and GOA notes:

“In the last two (2) years, the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) met with the president of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA), Mr. Dwayne Scott and other executives both jointly and severally on numerous occasions. The meetings were premised on matters related to innumerable complaints from swimmers, parents, coaches, and swim club executives. The complaints include biased selection processes, exclusion from competitive swimming, nepotism in swimming, refusal to accept clubs as members of GASA which meet the requirements, unresponsiveness from the executive of GASA, heavy-handed and unfair treatment by GASA, unconstitutional actions and financial misconduct by the executive of GASA.”

“In July 2023, a meeting was convened by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Honourable Charles S. Ramson MP, with members of the NSC, executives of the GOA, Mr. Delroy Tyrell, and executives of GASA to deal specifically with the complaint that GASA was ignoring, neglecting, and/or refusing to advance an application made by Delroy Tyrell. Mr. Tyrell is a talented Guyanese-born swimmer who is currently attending college in the United States and previously represented Trinidad while residing there. Mr. Tyrell is inclined to change his nationality status to represent Guyana. At the meeting, Mr. Scott sought to justify why Tyrell did not qualify for change of nationality which was refuted conclusively with careful examination of the constitution of World Aquatics.

Thereafter, Mr. Scott accepted that Tyrell’s application satisfied the criteria for a change of nationality, and committed to submit Mr. Tyrell’s documentation in two (2) weeks immediately following that meeting. Mr. Scott subsequently went on record in the media stating that Mr. Tyrell’s documentation was submitted to World Aquatics. On Sunday, 1st September 2024, it was reported in the media that Jan Exner, who serves as the World Aquatics Legal Counsel, issued a response indicating that no documentation was submitted to World Aquatics on behalf of Mr. Tyrell by GASA.

Minister Ramson convened a meeting on September 6, 2024, with members of the NSC and GOA for a response by the executive of GASA. At this meeting, it was confirmed that Mr. Scott and GASA had never submitted Mr. Tyrell’s documentation to World Aquatics. Additionally, it was established that Mr. Scott and executives of GASA have maliciously and vindictively withheld Mr. Tyrell’s documentation from World Aquatics to exclude him from representing Guyana at International meets.”

“The NSC and the GOA remain firm in their stance that there is no room for bias, inequality, exclusion, and unethical practices in sport.

It must be noted that this is not the first instance where Mr. Scott and the executives of GASA sought to mislead the NSC and GOA and were not forthcoming with the truth. On another occasion, GASA sought to institute bans on two (2) swim clubs based on the actions of a few members for two (2) years. This action was represented by GASA at another joint meeting. Mr Scott and executives of GASA claimed that the ban on the two clubs holistically was based on a recommendation from World Aquatics. When asked to return in 48 hours with evidence of the recommendation, Mr. Scott and the executives of GASA stated that they did not have any such recommendation and were unconstitutionally implementing sanctions without a fair hearing.”

The release further disclosed, “The NSC and the GOA have exhausted all avenues to mediate with GASA and the disgruntled swimming fraternity to bring normalcy to the sport. On every occasion, Mr. Scott acknowledged the above-mentioned indiscretions and shortcomings on the part of GASA while promising to rectify the lingering issues for GASA to function in the best interest of swimmers.”

“As a result of consistent inaction by GASA, the NSC, and the GOA are convinced that the current executives of GASA do not have the best interest of swimmers and swimming in Guyana as their primary objective.

Therefore, the NSC and the GOA no longer recognise GASA as a sports association in good standing and will no longer engage with the current executive of GASA. The NSC suspends swimming as a core sport along with its attendant support. Further, the NSC and the GOA will forthwith formally engage with World Aquatics to highlight the maladministration and the unethical acts being perpetuated by the current executives of GASA to the detriment of the swimmers in Guyana,” the release concluded.

 

 

 

NSC and GOA logos

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