Stephen Francis
BEIJING, China – Stephen Francis of the powerful MVP track club believes the heads of Ludlow Watts and Garth Gayle, both part of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)
should roll following the latest debacle that prevented Nesta Carter from participating the World Championship.
“I have no doubt, something has to happen,” Francis told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
“I wouldn’t blame Dr Blake (president of the JAAA), I think the JAAA has been taken from him. Maybe because he doesn’t want to fight the status quo or maybe because he is not the kind of personality to impose himself on the treasurer and the secretary,” Francis reasoned.
“I don’t think he has much power in the JAAA and its all been done by Mr Watts and Mr Gayle who have been there before him,” said Francis.
Carter an MVP athlete, finished fourth at the Jamaican Senior Championship and missed out on an automatic spot on the World Championship. However, his luck seemed to have turned as he was called in to replace an injured Kemar Bailey-Cole.
But his joy was short-lived as days before the 100m events started it was revealed that the JAAA had not entered him as a reserve, hence he could not fill that spot made vacant by the injured Bailey-Cole.
“It is extreme carelessness, extreme incompetence. A lot of people think it’s an attempt to sabotage MVP, but I don’t believe so, it’s just carelessness and incompetence of the highest order,” said Francis.
Up to Friday the JAAA were feverishly trying to get the IAAF to overturn their decision, but Francis said he knew Carter was out from August 10 once the provisional list was sent to the world ruling body. The appeal launched by the JAAA was officially turned down yesterday.
