By Rawle Toney
The Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) says it has nullified the results of this years’ National Schools Track and Field, Cycling and Swimming Championships.
This information was conveyed to Stabroek Sports by president of the GTU Colwyn King in an interview yesterday.
King described the championships, which were held at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in Linden as a “catastrophe.”
Yesterday some representatives of districts 11, 12, 13, 14 and five protested outside of the GTU office on Woolford Avenue charging among other things that the officials did not discharge their duties in a fair and transparent manner.
They also claimed that the host district benefited from preferential treatment.
One parent Diallo Jamaal Shabazz, who had two children taking part of the championship representing districts 11 and 12, said that he witnessed first hand how the athletes were treated and was calling on the GTU to disband those officials.
He alleged that athletes mainly from districts located in Georgetown complained that although they won events they were demoted to a lower position while the District 10 athletes were moved up.
King also claimed that he was physically assaulted by a woman in front of the officials and senior members of the GTU upstairs of the Mackenzie Sports Club.
“I was sitting in a chair talking to some of the officials, while they were telling me that Linden had won and that they should hand out the trophy, but I was trying to tell them of the calls made by some of the districts but some became very angry and started to use profanity, some even saying bust he (King) head, and then someone said to throw him outside and a woman came up to me and slapped me a few times in my head and pushed me out of the chair, ” King recounted.
He added that there was also a threat for him to hand over the trophy failing which no one would have been allowed to leave the ground.
“After I heard that, there is nothing I could have done but to hand over the trophy without no closing ceremony or anything so that the athletes and officials from the other districts could have left the venue safely. It was only then that they were allowed to leave through the side entrance of the ground,” King said.
Based on a meeting that was held by the top brass of the GTU, they concluded that the games would go down as null and void and the officials who were guilty of irregular behavior would be disciplined.
