Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 09, 2009 Sports
By Edison Jefford
Lionel D’Andrade believes that the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) is unjustified with the reason for his non-selection to compete at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon in Great Britain, but the association does not agree.
D’Andrade told Kaieteur Sport yesterday that his intention to participate on road surfaces as opposed to grass and rubberised tracks was widely publicised, so he does not think that he should be penalised for opting out of a meet on grass.
The AAG had held its National Senior Trials earlier this year where D’Andrade opted out for undisclosed reasons. Ideally, the trial was identified as the primary selection yardstick for all senior athletes hoping to compete for Guyana.
Athletics association President, Colin Boyce made it clear yesterday that D’Andrade had “rendered himself ineligible to make any national team by opting to not compete at senior trials even though he was right here in Guyana”.
However, the athlete is contending that the national trials did not have a ‘road race’ event that would have favoured his preparation. Boyce also informed that D’Andrade had made matters worse leading up to the CARICOM 10k race.
The Running Brave Athletics Club athlete had told this newspaper in an interview before the CARICOM race in July that he will not be competing for Guyana at the event because Cleveland Forde was being given special attention.
It was D’Andrade’s view that the AAG should have at least offered him a ticket to return to Guyana from Trinidad and Tobago, where he is now based, for the CARICOM race in light that they were prepared to do so for other athletes.
D’Andrade had openly expressed his reservation with the special treatment of Cleveland Forde ahead of the CARICOM race. Boyce also revealed that D’Andrade’s participation at that road race would have given him a chance.
“Then he (D’Andrade) did not come for the CARICOM 10k which would have increased his chances of making a national team since he missed the national trials, so I don’t know how he expects us to treat this,” Boyce said yesterday.
The AAG President identified one window that he said has to be thoroughly clear before D’Andrade is selected to represent Guyana in England. It was an unsafe premise but that has become the custom in local sport in Guyana.
Boyce plainly inquired, “Ask D’Andrade if he is paying his own passage. If our number one athlete is not too interested and we are forced to select the second best, then we have to know if he is being sponsored to consider him”.
In other words, D’Andrade’s selection to go to the World Half Marathon hinges on if he is willing to pay his own way or not. It is the only window open to the athlete after Forde has opted to compete at the South American 10k races.
Forde and Alika Morgan were apparently the association’s initial preferences for the high profiled meeting, but Forde has chosen to compete at both the first and second legs of the IAAF South American 10k instead of the half marathon.
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