Two separate Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) annual general meetings (AGM) were set on Saturday, following separate special general meetings (SGM) by rival fractions, led by incumbent Godfrey Lothian and challenger Andrew Lue.
While Lothian and his delegates gathered at Caribbean Palms on Spanish Town Road, Lue’s supporters held a meeting of their own at the National Arena, in the latest twist in a long dispute over the leadership of the sport’s regulators in Jamaica.
According to Lue, his opponent will not be eligible to contest the election of officers at their February 6 AGM, as a result of a no-confidence vote that was brought against him at their SGM at the National Arena.
“His (Lothian) SGM must have been for JATTA Sports Limited. If he wants to do JATTA Sports business, that is his business, I can’t comment on that. But as far as I know, he is in violation of the Supreme Court order if he attempts to do (anything) under the JTTA, because the Supreme Court ruled the TTJ (Table Tennis Jamaica) and Lothian as second defendants.”
“So, he is a nonentity as far as I am concerned, as the delegates have spoken,” Lue told The Gleaner.
Last year, Lothian attempted to change the association’s name from JTTA to JATTA Sports, this after an earlier effort to rename the association Table Tennis Jamaica (TTJ) was ruled null and void by the court in 2019.
However, Lothian argued that Lue has no authority to decide who contest the election of officers for the JTTA, and confirmed that he will be running for a fourth term come February 27, when they host their AGM.
He also noted that he received a vote of confidence from affiliates at his meeting on Saturday and will be putting things in place for the February 27 date.
“They (Lue’s team) are an opposition, so you don’t expect them to pass a confidence vote, so we are not surprised by that. Lue can say anything. He is not the Jamaica Table Tennis Association. He is not the law of the land. There will be an annual general meeting, and I will be contesting,” Lothian stated.
“We are looking forward, full speed ahead, to the AGM, and we will be organising and putting things in place to ensure that we have a successful election,” he added.
Twenty affiliates were in attendance at the meeting at the National Arena, while 18 turned up for the meeting at Caribbean Palms. However, while the 44 member delegates list was ratified and passed at Lue’s meeting, the affiliates at Lothian’s meeting voted to add two more members to the list.
“They voted to ensure that two other institutions are added to the voters’ list, the Belnavis and Mowatt Table Tennis Club and the Referees and Umpires Association,” Lothian disclosed.
Nevertheless, Lue said they will be sticking to the present list.
“The list of 44 delegates was ratified as the list that will be used on the date, which is set for the sixth of February. We expect no stumbling block. We have set a date for the AGM and will move ahead without him (Lothian),” Lue added.
