– GASA doubles down on Tyrell non-selection
Guyana will not be fielding a male swimmer at the upcoming World Aquatics Championships, which is slated for December 10-15 in Budapest, Hungary.
This was disclosed by Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) President Dwayne Scott when contacted by this publication.
While Aleka Persaud will be representing the country on the distaff side, there will be no male representative following Vladimir Woodroffe’s decision to withdraw from the team, a direct fallout from GASA’s decision to not select overseas-based athlete Delroy Tyrell, who is the second highest-ranked swimmer.
Tyrell’s non-selection by GASA is viewed as a contentious move by stakeholders in the swimming arena, as he is Guyana’s second-best-ranked athlete internationally and is seen by respective stakeholders as the logical choice for Team Guyana in the absence of number one-ranked Raekwon Noel.
To this end, Stabroek Sports reached out to Scott to enquire who will represent Guyana at the championship. Scott, who is also a former national hockey player, said, “Vlad is the last eligible local swimmer. Tyrrell, being international, needed a qualifying time, which he doesn’t have. Those are the rules.”
Scott further stated, “Every event has different standards based on the state or region. We have always used that method. For years, that’s been the method. We cannot use a wildcard for an international (swimmer).”
Questioned on the selection criteria, Scott revealed that it was a collective decision by the GASA council where the selection was concerned.
“When the council met, that was the decision they took and how they voted. As the president, I don’t vote,” Scott declared.
Tyrell has been in the spotlight for the last year and a half with a well-documented international athlete switch process (from Trinidad & Tobago to Guyana), which was tedious and full of controversy as GASA was accused of not submitting the relevant documents to World Aquatics, among other discrepancies.
However, Tyrell, who swims on the NCAA Division III circuit for Oneonta State University, managed to complete the switch independently just over a month ago.
