Crack down on athletics prima donnas
NOW THAT the 16th IAAF World Championships has ended, and Jamaica performed way below expectations, finishing 16th in the medal table, it’s the perfect time for the JAAA to make some harsh decisions.
Bear in mind that the team was predicted to win as many as 12 medals by track and field experts, which would have placed them no worse than third in the medal table.
Instead, this was Jamaica’s worst display in World Championships since 1987, when we won just four medals.
With that said, my point is not focused on medals, but on leadership. Each time Jamaican athletes attend one of these championships, including the Olympics, a plethora of stories emerge about the behaviour of some athletes and coaches. Their prima donna attitude has made it difficult for the team to maximise its potential, thus causing chaos, and in some cases, anarchy, in the camp.
Rewind to Sydney 2000 when certain factions led a revolt against one of Jamaica’s national treasures, Merlene Ottey, in the Olympic Athletes’ Village. This remains one of the biggest stains on Jamaican athletics to date.
These vain and overly sensitive persons are very temperamental and difficult to work with but always seem to get their way and escape without facing any penalties. There is no way an association should allow coaches and athletes to run the asylum. This only leads to further problems down the road if not curtailed immediately. The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the JAAA. It is the governing body of athletics in the country. Each time one of these incidents occurs, there are always two constants: a certain coach and track club. One wonders why this coach and club always evade disciplinary actions after creating so much disruption. Is it because his athletes are always winning? Is it because he’s a bully and others are terrified of him?
Whatever it is, this must stop NOW! And, there’s no better time than the present. The argument that this club and its athletes are carrying Jamaica is now moot.
At the conclusion of this past championship, there are no grounds for the coach and club in question to stand on. The associated athletes produced a total of zero medals. So, who will finally stand up to him?
Does the JAAA need a total makeover and new leaders with guts to fill the vacant posts? Does the minister of sports need to step in and make some tough decisions? Whatever the solution, it must be found NOW or else worse is yet to come. This would be unfair to those athletes who trust and respect the system. JAMES TESTA Hollywood, FL