By Marlon Munroe
Central American and Caribbean (CAC) selectees Clint Duke, Marlon Bennett and Alisha Fortune have expressed their disappointment at not being able to attend the bodybuilding championships currently underway in Aruba.
However, they said they would not allow this bump in the road to discourage them, especially since this had happened in 2008. They told Stabroek Sport yesterday that their love for the sport is still intact and they will continue to commit themselves to training.
The news that the Guyana Amateur Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation (GABBFF) did not have adequate funding came on Tuesday from president of the association Fiona Harris.
Duke, the 2010 Mr Guyana, was the only athlete among the eight who were short-listed by the GABBFF, to have secured sponsorship but the association was unable to get him a flight to Aruba.
The president had told Stabroek Sport that the organisation had appealed for sponsorship from corporate Guyana and the association had even sought help from the Sport Ministry.
However, many of the companies and the ministry did not respond to the requests.
According to Duke, 38, who is also a two-time Mr Guyana, he is even more disappointed that he cannot attend the meet because he was well prepared for the tournament, adding that he had sacrificed a lot in the lead up to the tournament.
He disclosed also that after the GABBFF Senior National Championships two weeks ago he did some corrective work on his physique and was told that he looked better than when he won the Mr Guyana title.
Duke, who won a CAC silver medal in 2004, opined that systems could have been put in place much earlier by the association but stated that he is not blaming anybody in particular. He indicated that he takes the sport very seriously and he is recommending that the only way to prevent recurrences is if certain key systems are put in place to garner funds.
Meanwhile Duke and his seven teammates will now be preparing for the Darcy Beckles Meet that is scheduled for Barbados on November 20.
Addressing the lack of sponsorship, Duke said he had made requests for sponsorship before but was not wholly successful. He could not pinpoint a reason why there is not an outpouring of sponsorship for the sport.
When Stabroek Sport caught up with Bennett, 34, the 2009 CAC silver medallist and 2010 Mr Guyana in the lightweight division was also disappointed at how events panned out. He said that while he still is committed to representing Guyana he feels somewhat dejected.
He quipped, “such is life” while emphasizing that he had worked assiduously “only to be told that you will not be going anywhere”.
He plans to stay focused, but will go a bit lighter during his training for the Darcy Beckles championships. He was working out at the Total Fitness Gym at Grove, East Bank Demerara, yesterday.
Fortune, 2010 Miss Guyana Physique and CAC fifth place finalist last year, said that she was angry when she got the news. Fortune, who is also the national 100m and 200m champion, said she sacrificed her athletics for three months to prepare for the senior championships and the CAC games.
The 35-year-old noted that she loves the sport and will continue training. She has her eyes on the meet in Barbados at this time. She stated also that she was in great shape for the CAC.
Meanwhile, Harris had stated in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek Sport that she hoped this incident would not deter athletes from competing in future events.
