(Trinidad Guardian) T&T’s junior women’s volleyball team will still be allowed to take to the court in their opening match of the seven-team Junior Pan American Games Women’s Volleyball Qualification Tournament against defending champions Dominican Republic in Aguascalientes, Mexico today from 5 pm.
This was confirmed by T&T Volleyball Federation (T&TVF) Daymien Stewart when contacted yesterday morning after two members of the playing personal were not allowed to board the team’s departure flight out of Piarco International Airport on Monday night, leaving the team with eight players, when competition rules states that a minimum of ten players is needed to constitute a team.
On Monday night, national junior women’s team coach and former national women’s team libero Courtnee-Mae Clifford and assistant coach and senior team player Darlene Ramdin along with captain Rayquelle Dickson, Shanice Cottoy, Amaris Noray, Desiree Donald, Iyanu Small, Jada Crawford and Aaliyah Alexis arrived in Mexico for the tournament.
However, after the entire contingent was provided with their respective boarding passes, the pair for Alexis and Small were then debarred from boarding the flights due to the fact they were both unvaccinated.
According to Stewart, the players being denied entry onto the flights stems from a recent Gazzetted law by the Government of Guyana which only came into effect on August 8, and which they were not aware of or any information were provided before the contingent’s departure.
According to an article written in the newsroom.gy website, the updated travel advisory, which took effect on August 8, 2021 notes that travellers seeking to enter Guyana will only be required to have been inoculated with a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
It stipulates that proof of vaccination means a document indicating that the person has received at least one dose of the Astra-Zeneca, Sputnik-V, Sino-pharm, Sinovac, Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
This updated regulation adds to those measures for airports and aircraft that mandate passengers take other precautionary measures in light of the public health pandemic.
Meanwhile, in July, a gazetted regulation made under the Civil Aviation Act stated that nationals of T&T, specifically, are required to be fully vaccinated before they will be allowed to travel to Guyana.
Then, the News Room was reliably informed that this new regulation is meant specifically for nationals of T&T and not for those who may stop in the Caribbean country due to an in-transit flight.
Entry into Guyana also requires a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test taken 72 hours before arrival.
Asked to comment on what it meant with regards to T&T’s participation, Stewart said that it was very unfortunate and heart-wrenching for the players.
He added, “It’s very difficult on the players have set their hearts on representing their country and then for that to happen.
“From our end, we know our players wanted to get fully vaccinated, but I think the time was against them getting it done, and we even tried to re-route one of the players through the USA because she has her US visa, but there is no connecting flight from Miami, that will allow her to reach to the tournament in time for our second match.
Ironically, Alexis who attends university in the USA is now due to leave to resume her collegiate career where she will be vaccinated while the remaining five players were joined by the USA-based trio of Natassia Baptiste, Afiya Alexander and Destiny Leon to bring the T&T compliment up to eight.
Stewart said due to the fact that the circumstances surrounding the team being short-handed was deemed as ‘force marjue’, and could not be avoided the T&T team was allowed to complete the preliminary enquiry at the tournament general meeting and will face Dominican Republic as scheduled from 4 pm (5 pm TT time) in the Pool A opener at the Olympic Gymnasium of Aguascalientes.
The Dominican Republic who have won all the editions of the Junior Women’s Pan American Cup will start as favourites with some of their players fresh off of competing at the Under-20 FIVB World Championship and six practise matches against Colombia’s senior team that was in Santo Domingo.
T&T also faces fellow Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) team Suriname on Thursday from 5 pm in their second pool match before the Dominican Republic and Suriname close out round-robin pool play tomorrow.
The quartet of Guatemala, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Mexico will contest Pool B at the end of the four-day tournament the top four teams will qualify for the Junior Pan American Games competition slated for Cali, Colombia carded for November 25 to December 5, 2021.
T&T Team: Natassia Baptiste, Afiya Alexander, Destiny Leon, Rayquelle Dickson, Shanice Cottoy, Amaris Megan, Desiree Donald, Jada Crawford.
Technical staff: Courtnee-Mae Clifford (coach), Darlene Ramdin (assistant coach).
