A number of sports associations have recently been linked to controversial selections as it pertains to national teams for not only the Commonwealth Games but also the Inter Guiana Games which commenced yesterday.
The problems associated with the selection of athletes to national teams are not new however as, over the years, talented athletes have been crying out after being given raw deals.
The reason for the inconsistency concerning the selection of sports teams has to do with the absence of both selection committees and selection policies.
Some seven months into the year most of the associations/federations would have already had their annual general meeting and would have elected office bearers for the year along with the relevant committees yet it is doubtful whether the majority of sports associations/federations have selection committees in place.
Even for those who do it is not altogether uncommon to find that after teams would have been selected by the committees they then have to be ratified by the president who sometimes instructs the committee to pick the team again if a particular athlete/player is not on the team.
While one would agree that selecting athletes for international competitions is never easy, the issue has been compounded by the fact that some associations either do not bother to have a proper process in place or simply avoid being objective when selecting teams preferring to be subjective instead.
When the selection process is objective then one can follow the process and at the end the athletes (even those who do not make the team) are satisfied and the ones who made the team, happy.
Using objective criteria prevents the selectors from using their discretion to pick a particular athlete who they might have been tempted to select otherwise.
Going forward, all associations/federations should ensure they have in place selection committees comprising knowledgeable persons such as coaches and former players and selection policies which should be communicated to the clubs and the athletes so that the athletes can prepare properly for major competitions.
Best team
Oftentimes, sports associations/federations fail to have the best possible athletes compete at major games and they attempt to justify those selections by saying that they are blooding players for future medals.
This is patently unfair to all those athletes who train because of a desire to represent their country and is a breach of natural justice. It is the reason why associations should state their policy beforehand so as to let the prospective athletes know whether or not they will be eligible for selection.
It is not fair for an athlete to train diligently with a view towards selection for an upcoming championships only to be informed afterwards by the associations/federations that the athlete was ineligible because of the age requirement. Also it is not fair when teams are selected without a thorough selection process.
A proper selection process should entail the use of trials, warm-up games, national championships, international tournaments and world rankings.
For athletics and swimming meets for major competitions the governing bodies often institute qualifying times for events which the competitors are asked to meet. In the event that no athlete makes the A or B qualifying standards, there is also wild cards given so that countries can be represented even if they know they will be unable to win medals at the games.
Sports associations must also be able to defend their choice of selections whenever these are called into question. Too often the associations operate in a somewhat high handed manner refusing to comment on team selections when these are highlighted by the media.
Right of appeal
In the developed countries athletes have the right to appeal and often do so either through the Courts, Appeals Tribunals or, as a last resort, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Switzerland.
In Guyana though, there is no opportunity to appeal and, as stated before, the athlete’s only recourse is to go to the media to highlight the injustice.
In Guyana, football and cricket matters have been taken to the Courts but matters of team selections are not, for reasons that are not known.
Perhaps one reason is because the athletes are often not too inclined to take the matter further because of fear of reprisals.
Also most international sports federations (one such being FIFA) urge that such matters are settled outside of the Courts but while the Courts hesitate to interfere in the selection disputes, they will most likely hear the matter once it is brought to the Court’s attention especially if it affects the restraint of trade such as for International cricketers or in contract disputes and matters of discrimination.
Guyana will end this year’s Commonwealth Games in Scotland without a medal to show but going forward the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) should ensure that all associations/federations have strong selection committees in place and that a thorough selection process is embarked upon prior to athletes being selected for national duty. Representing the Golden Arrowhead is an honour and a privilege that must be earned only through hard work and the athlete’s ability to win medals or to represent this country to the best of the athlete’s ability.
