Long standing Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) head, K Juman-Yassin who is currently overseas, says that there will be a press briefing to address the recent comments by Nicolette Fernandes upon his return this month end.
Renowned for her exploits on the court, squash queen, Fernandes may have to consider a post retirement occupation in journalism after ‘grabbing the headlines’ in a letter full of ‘hot balls’ which asked the important question “Who holds the individuals of our governing sports bodies to account?”.
In the ‘hard-hitting’ 17-paragraph statement, which was eloquently written to the leading dailies and which went viral on social media, Fernandes was critical of the treatment of athletes by politicians and sporting bodies like the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) and the GOA.
support that local sportsmen and women receive in general.
The letter was penned in the aftermath of the ‘Keevin Allicock fiasco’ which transpired earlier this month in Paraguay at the South American Games.
While in Paraguay, standout featherweight Allicock, suffered a health scare which was diagnosed as rhabdomyolysis after unsuccessfully struggling to make weight for his 57kg semifinal bout which he lost without entering the ring and being forced to settle for a bronze medal.
Upon his return, the 23-year-old took to his Facebook page and criticized the brass of the above mentioned associations, articulating that local athletes are deserving of ‘basic yet fundamental privileges’ which are not afforded.
It was headlined ‘Our Sportsmen and Women Deserve Better’.
Allicock’s polarizing statement was met with jabs from the GBA in a release which highlighted the fact that Allicock’s training attendance record was poor.
Fernandes who is one of the most decorated and respected athletes in the nation’s history, came to the defence of Allicock, stating that the response by the GBA was ‘inappropriate, insensitive and lacking of care.
“Regrettably, the response from Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) is probably the best indication of why athletes are so fearful of speaking out. GBA’s response might have been an appropriate answer to an enquiry as to why a particular athlete did not meet the criteria for being part of a team.
However, it is not an adequate reply to someone who complained of feeling let down in the context of a serious health scare while representing both GBA and Guyana. GBA’s letter read as insensitive and lacking in care. It demonstrated little respect for Keevin or for the ordeal that he, his family, and the team had been through,” she wrote.
Fernandes, who won a silver medal at the said games continued…”It made no mention of arranging for further medical checks to be carried out to ensure that he had suffered no lasting damage. Nor did it congratulate him on securing one of the three medals earned by Guyana in these Games.
“Instead, it rebuked him for daring to make a complaint public and, in fact, blamed him for what had happened, throwing in his allegedly poor training record to deflect blame from itself.
What it did accomplish was to confirm that GBA’s reputation, rather than the care and support of athletes who give blood sweat and tears for their country, was its primary concern. I stand by Keevin and everything he has said,” she declared.
At 39, Fernandes admitted that she is at the tail end of her competitive years and stated that she felt compelled to speak up, something she was fearful of throughout her three-decade illustrious career.
I was recently invited to join a National Athletes’ Commission, an association for athletes and a vehicle through which our viewpoints could be obtained and communicated to the relevant sporting associations. One of the things I committed myself to doing as a member of this group was to ensuring that I tried to hold our administrators accountable and encouraged younger athletes to do the same,” she said.
Fernandes said that athletes should not be fearful of speaking up and that soon the ‘photo-ops’ with politicians will be inadequate to encourage sporting greatness.
“Since the exchange of correspondence on social media between Keevin and the GBA, I understand that the government did arrange a medical investigation for Keevin.
I was glad to hear that he has eventually been given some support, but I still believe that he ought not to have had to endure what he did, including the callous response of the GBA, before those who hold ultimate responsibility sat up and took notice.
“We now live in an age of screens and sedentary lifestyles. An age where fewer and fewer children venture out to the dwindling playgrounds and dilapidated sports facilities in our communities.
It is an age where those responsible for sport at a national level believe that a photo-op with a politician, and a slap on the back, will be enough to keep us happy and to encourage future sporting greatness. If this is the strategy, we will soon have no athletes.” She then questioned “Shouldn’t national athletes expect something more? Shouldn’t we be less fearful about asking for it?”
When contacted for a reaction, President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle who is also the Director of Sport, told this publication that the association’s release was the final comment on the fiasco.
“We had issued a release and in that release, we had stated that that was final” said Ninvalle.
