Speaking for the first time since a disagreement of sorts prevented his prized athlete from running in Freeport, Grand Bahama, foreign coach and world-renowned track analyst and sportscaster Ato Boldon, a former World Champion sprinter and Olympic medalist, fired back at meet organizer Jerial Forbes, stating that there was nothing in place to facilitate a well-structured track and field meet.
Jamaican World Under-20 Double Sprint Champion Briana Williams was one of the headliners of the Neymour Athletics Christmas Odd Distance Track and Field Classic in December. A subdued version of the classic took place on Saturday December 19, at the Grand Bahama (GB) Sports Complex in Freeport. The first day of the meet was canceled.
Earlier on social media, Boldon said: “Unfortunately, the organizers of this meet failed to deliver on just about every reasonable expectation that there could be to host a decent track and field event and as a result, I’ve decided to withdraw Briana from participation in this meet.”
He came back and told the Jamaica Observer that they should never have gone there in the first place, and that a number of international athletes who were promoted on the program never showed up to compete.
“He (the organizer) sold it to me that I should bring Briana, that Yohan Blake and his group were going; [they didn’t], and the Gary Evans group [from Central Florida], including several pros were going. [They didn’t.] Once I started to realize as the days passed that the organizer was incapable of putting on a proper meet, including the first day of the meet being canceled after we arrived to compete, we left Freeport immediately.”
The Jamaican sprint sensation, still a junior, was set to open her season at the odd distance meet, competing in the 150 meters (m) race and possibly the 300m as well. Williams, who trains in Florida, is vying to represent Jamaica in the short sprints and the sprint relay at the 2021 Olympics, set for July 23 to August 8, in Tokyo, Japan.
Forbes, the head coach and president of the Grand Bahamian-based Neymour Athletics Track and Field Club, said up until the eve of competition, that Williams was still seeking to run the 150m race at the classic but needed permission from Coach Boldon. She didn’t run and ended up leaving the island, along with Boldon, the following day.
Williams is arguably the top female junior sprinter in the world, and after a stagnant 2020 due to the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, it is understood that she was looking forward to running in Freeport and tracing her progression. However, it wasn’t to be. Boldon told the Jamaica Observer that North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) President Mike Sands, a Bahamian, apologized to him and Williams for the “poor experience” and assured that the individual in question would not be able to promote any future meets.
Forbes responded: “I tried to warn Drumeco (BAAA President Drumeco Archer) that if they pursued this, Boldon was just going to attack me and put more gas on the fire. He just wanted to blast us, but they didn’t listen to me. This was a private event and he was a private guest. They had no authorization to act. They extended themselves too far. Both presidents (Archer and Sands) acted independently without having any official authorization to apologize on my organization’s behalf.”
Forbes said that he is not worried about that at all, and that his next scheduled meet, the 4th Annual Basil Neymour Construction Classic, will go on as scheduled February 12-13, at the GB Sports Complex.
“They can’t prevent me from hosting meets,” he said. “I have gotten approval from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to use the facility and I can actually go above the BAAA (Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations) to World Athletics to have the meet sanctioned. If I have to take that route, I will do that. This meet is still in the making to take place. Everyone is excited to go. I didn’t come this far to only come this far.”
Forbes said that he is bringing in an international team, Coach O Event Management with American coach Charles Oliver, to run the event.
The Basil Neymour Classic has become a staple event on Grand Bahama, assisting with the development and promotion of athletics in the nation’s second city. Forbes said he is looking forward to that meet taking place and for the sport of athletics to thrive once more on Grand Bahama.
The post Boldon responds; Forbes says meet will go on appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/boldon-responds-forbes-says-meet-will-go-on/
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