One of the good things about competition is that it oftentimes brings out the best in an athlete.
It is the reason why sometimes, higher-ranked players lose to players ranked below them simply because they were more competitive or in other words, they simply played better on the day.
History is replete with instances where unranked athletes went on to win major competitions. Just ask Boris Becker.
In the United States of America, competition for spots on the Olympic Track and Field team is so fierce that if you do not place in the US Olympic Trials, you simply cannot make the team even if you are the defending Olympic Champion in your event.
You can go online and find the USA Track and Field Athlete Selection Procedures which spell out what the requirements for selection for its Olympic teams are.
Here in Guyana the situation is completely different.
Sports associations/federations seem to frown on the need for Trials prior to the selection of national teams to represent this country and in most instances, do not have a selection policy nor selection committee for that matter although the latter is a requirement of most constitutions.
The lack of a proper selection policy and the absence of staging Trials prior to selections are two of the most glaring examples of unfair treatment meted out to athletes of this country.
Recently the West Indies Cricket Board, to its credit, staged the Regional Super50 tournament where Leeward Islands batsman Kieran Powell was outstanding scoring three centuries. The performance was enough to see him force his way back into the West Indies team for the One Day series against England. Were it not for his performance in the tournament, Powell, who had taken a hiatus from the sport, would not have been selected.
This is how it should be. Selections should be based primarily on performance; not on the whims and fancies of officials elected to run the sport.
Recently the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) announced that this country will participate in four disciplines at the third annual Islamic Solidarity Games, in Baku Azerbaijan in May.
Despite its name, non-Muslim citizens from the 57-member countries are allowed to participate in the games organized by the Islamic Solidarity Sports Foundation.
Previously the games were held in Saudi Arabia in 2005, Iran in 2010 and Indonesia in 2013.
The 24-member squad announced by the GOA comprises 18 athletes, five coaches and a Chef-de-Mission who will also serve as a coach.
But how were the athletes selected? Were there Trials or tournaments prior to the athletes being selected? Were the athletes aware of the upcoming games and told that their performances were being monitored?
Were the associations/federations given enough time by the GOA to select the athletes?
It will be interesting to get answers for the above questions.
While participation at the games is good news for the athletes who have been selected as it will afford them some sort of international exposure which is sadly lacking for the athletes of this Third World country, the bad news is that other athletes might feel miffed at not being selected simply because there were no Trials and tournaments for some of the disciplines for them to stake claims for selection. This is in no way a critique of the athletes who were selected but it is a criticism of the selection process of some associations/federations.
One is not sure when the GOA indicated to the associations/federations the deadline for selecting their respective athletes for the games but apart from the Athletics Association of Guyana, which has held Trials the last two weekends, to the best of one’s knowledge there were no Trials for the other sports disciplines.
No wonder there is a lack of success by sports teams competing internationally, unfair team selections and a lack of proper preparation are the reasons.
The coaches, whose job it is to ensure that the athletes peak at the right time, must have enough time to work with their charges so as to rectify possible shortcomings in technique and other areas.
In Guyana little is done to deal with defaulting associations. There are a number of associations who have not held their Annual General Meeting but who continue to operate as if it is business as normal.
Why?
Because there are simply no provisions or there is a reluctance to deal with those issues.
There are no oversight committees, the clubs are unable or reluctant to fight for the necessary transparency and the government continues to turn a blind eye to the problems affecting cricket and all the other sports disciplines. Those associations that continue to select national teams without the proper selection process are doing a disservice to the athletes in particular and sports in Guyana in general. It is nothing but a travesty and must not be allowed to continue. Despite all that, the hope is that the athletes selected for the Islamic Games go out there and try to do themselves and this country proud.
For those who were not selected and who might be feeling peeved at being overlooked, the hope is that one day, all sports associations will function as they should and that proper selection policies including the staging of Trials prior to team selections and fairness in selecting athletes will be the order of the day.
