MVP STARS OUT! Training camp snub disqualifies athletes By HG HELPS Editor-at-Large Monday, August 10, 2009
It appears unlikely that some of Jamaica's top athletes will represent the island at the World Championships in Athletics, which starts this weekend in the historic German city of Berlin. Four of the big names, Olympic 100 metres champion Shelly-Ann Fraser, former world 100 metres record-holder Asafa Powell, 400 metres runner Sherika Williams and sprint hurdler Brigitte Foster Hylton, all members of the Maximising Velocity Power (MVP) Track Club have not shown up at the mandatory pre-World Championships training camp in Nuremberg, Germany, making them ineligible to compete at the championships. Asafa Powell and Shelly-Ann Fraser
Reports have been surfacing - even more so since Williams posted a message on her social network website, Facebook, stating that: "Oh, well, the JAAA say we can't run at World Championships, because we did not attend the training camp," - that the four were automatically axed from the squad.
Inside athletics sources told the Observer late last night that the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) to which the JAAA reports, had insisted that all athletes selected should attend the camp for, among other things, providing urine and blood samples for drug testing.
"It is the same foolishness some of these athletes did in China last year when they said they did not know what was taking place," an athletics source told the Observer. President of the JAAA Howard Aris, who is due to leave for Berlin today, said that he was not aware that the Jamaica team's management in Germany had taken the decision to clean house. Sherika Williams and Brigitte Foster Hylton "I have not been informed of this," Aris said. "The IAAF had contacted the JAAA seeking information on whether or not we were going to have a camp, where the camp would be, where the team would be staying etc.
"I wrote to (athletes agent) Paul Doyle telling him what the IAAF wanted to do. When we (the JAAA) called to find out where the athletes were going to be staying, we were told that they would be going straight to Berlin. I told Doyle that the camp was mandatory, and if they don't go to the camp, they could not compete," Aris said. Doyle, who is the agent for Powell, Williams and Foster Hylton, had told the Observer on Friday that he did not know that the camp was a requirement.
He said that the athletes would not be attending the six-day camp, which started last Thursday. "The JAAA has never once sent a message to me that the camp was mandatory. Only the media has been telling me that it's mandatory." Doyle said.
There was controversy associated with Jamaica's participation at last year's Olympic Games in Beijing, China, when athletes from the MVP club arrived late for a pre-Olympic training camp in Tianjin, China, exposing more of the bad blood that has existed between members of the MVP executive and the JAAA. Last night, second vice-president of the JAAA Dr Warren Blake joined his president in underlining the importance of attending the camp.
"It was not a secret that if they don't turn up at the camp, they would automatically be disqualified," Blake said. It was not clear about the status of another MVP athlete, Olympic champion hurdler Melaine Walker, who had also not attended the camp up to yesterday.
President of the MVP club Bruce James could not be reached for a comment at press time.
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Every year the jaaa and mvp have problems! Like last year franno does not see the need for a week long training camp. For some, it makes little sense to attend, especially if your coach won't be there (e.g., Dorian Scott, Trecia Smith, Maurice Smith etc). Unless your coach will be there, I see no reason to attend a camp more than 4 days before the meet, especially if you are already based in Europe. As for a relay camp, they could have organized a few races before Berlin.
Jengs, some of the blame HAS to rest with those folks at MVP. The JAAA is saying that part of the reason for the camp is to provide samples and that is ligit. Also, do you think these guys would have shown up if they had organized relays before Berlin? I am absolutely sure that the MVP people would not have participated if they had tried that and deep down I have to suspect that you know that too.
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My mortgage rate just went from 5.9 to 10.75% - can they do that?
Ego's are playing a big part in this fiasco, If a camp is needed before this should be in place months before & not weeks. Will Bolt be in camp?, I don't think so, will he be banned? I don't think so...why the division now (it seems) between JAAA,MVP & Racers...EGO'S.....Why can't we get along, we need to work together.
ATU - I actually think Bolt will be at the camp. The same usual suspects are involved in this one. Francis has done wonders with some of his athletes, but he does not have a monopoly on coaching knowledge in Jamaica. He made some comments last summer before the Olympics that implied everyone on the JA coaching staff are idiots. Keep in mind that Mills and people like Burt are part of this said team.
I take nothing from Francis, but his ego gets the better of the situation from time to time. He should take stock of the fact that he coaches the possible biggest choker in the history of athletics.
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No doubt! It been years since they have been at loggerheads. The problem is both parties are unwilling to compromise. The truth is Franno has been upset with the Jaaa for years because they never gave his athletes the support they needed in the budding years of the mvp track club. The relationship ever since has been less than amicable. Everything is always a problem…..
ATU - I actually think Bolt will be at the camp. The same usual suspects are involved in this one. Francis has done wonders with some of his athletes, but he does not have a monopoly on coaching knowledge in Jamaica. He made some comments last summer before the Olympics that implied everyone on the JA coaching staff are idiots. Keep in mind that Mills and people like Burt are part of this said team.
I take nothing from Francis, but his ego gets the better of the situation from time to time. He should take stock of the fact that he coaches the possible biggest choker in the history of athletics.
Thanks Chisel, I think since the IAAF has a part in this decision then ego's aside everyone should be on the same page,if testing is a big part of this camp, let's man-up and be there for all to see...These athlete has a part to play also this is there career however long or short...the athletes need to man-up.
On the subject of athletes taking control of their own destiny. Did you notice that Frater showed up for the camp even though he is a part of the MVP setup?
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My mortgage rate just went from 5.9 to 10.75% - can they do that?
What I don't understand is why the agent, Paul Doyle, a part of the decision making process as it applies to anything to do with the Worlds?
At this stage the athletes are attending the World Championships, not just any European-circuit meet, so why is the agent's name even a part of the discussion?
The agent obviously has very close ties to Francis as he appears to represent all of MVP athletes, so I suspect his opinion reflects Francis' opinion.
I believe they should all be part of the camp. I cannot think of any reasonable reason for them not to attend. At this stage they should now be reporting to the JAAA, not MVP. If they chose not to attend camp and they get kicked out of the games, serves them right.
I bet you it wouldn't happen again after that.
Further more, aren't these athletes able to think for themselves?
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The surest sign other intelligent life exists in the universe is that it hasn't tried to contact us.
damn, and I thought the JAAA had their sh!t together.
why cut off yuh nose fi spite face?
I wonder if BOLT was from MVP and was not present either?
No need to get too Draconian on this, assess the situation, fine MVP as needed (if possible) warn the athletes, get them involved in future camps and move on.
Too much drama from the JAAA lately. Who bans their top athletes for suspicion of cough syrup? who bans their top athletes for missing a practice session? Who does that? I guess they are buying into the hype that there is a "Bolt on every corner" just like there was an Ado on every corner. This is not how you take care of our "valuable resouces".
"We talking 'bout practice, man!" -Iverson.
Edited by ddread (08/10/0909:48 AM)
_________________________ Blessed are those that buck the system, they make our lives better.
Dread, I hear you, but some of the blame has to rest with MVP. Every country that wants to succeed at major games brings the athletes together before the meet and that is what the JAAA is trying to do in this case. Why is MVP making the world so hard?
The US relay teams were running in a warmup meet this past weekend in Germany and I guarantee the JAAA could not even consider doing that because MVP athletes would never show up to run outside of the major meet. We are already going into the games with no real relay practice so why not just corporate and show up?
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My mortgage rate just went from 5.9 to 10.75% - can they do that?
We have the potential of assembling the greatest track and field team in the history of Jamaican sports and we are willing to dash it weh because of a minor technicality.
_________________________ Blessed are those that buck the system, they make our lives better.
But it isn't a minor technicality. They did the same thing at the Olympics and delayed the preparation then. It is possible that we missed the gold in the womens 4x100m because of the lack of practice.
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My mortgage rate just went from 5.9 to 10.75% - can they do that?
We have the potential of assembling the greatest track and field team in the history of Jamaican sports and we are willing to dash it weh because of a minor technicality.
ddread principle is principle. We allow MVP to do this crap then evry other coach a go seh, if MVP do it then me can do it.
So dem turn a blind eye to it now rite and we mash up di place now but what about the future? When indicipline sets it and the cookie crumble. Reminds of what happened to our beloved Jamaica. We turned a blind eye, now illmorality, crass behaviour, indicipline and corruption blinds us.
When will we start thinking long term instead of quick unsustainable returns?
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FORMER President - F.A.A.B.A.C.B(Fans Association Against the Baseless Attack on Captain Burrel)
Chisel, i hear you. But if you assume that the overall goal (and the objectives of the practice) is to put the team in the best position for GOLD at every level then i can't see how banning the athletes achieve this goal.
MVP should be sanctioned, YES, but find a way of sanctioning the club without killing the team because this will in effect sanction even the athletes that were actually present for camp in that they will have their relay medals jeapordised if the best athletes are not able to participate.
_________________________ Blessed are those that buck the system, they make our lives better.
Zilla, principle is principle - no doubt. However, sanctioning the athletes for problems with their coaches and clubs are problematic on many levels. Many of these clubs have athletes from many different countries, not just Jamaica. If this is an issue with the club, MVP, then i wonder how this is playing out on the other teams? Are the MVP athletes form other countries being banned?
Sanction the club (and maybe the offending athletes) in ways that do not punish the team.
Edited by ddread (08/10/0909:37 AM)
_________________________ Blessed are those that buck the system, they make our lives better.
Kick them out. As much as it hurts me to see us there without our best talent, we need to send a mesage. This MVP vs JAAA ting getting out of hand. We cant have this every year. I will say this again. We have shown over and over again that we are to some degree in capable of handling success at the highest level. I see this with some of our footballers, academic elite, and now MVP. I think the JAA is to blame to some degree and I am sure there is more to this story than we know. There is some underlying grouse between some personalities at the JAAA and Francis. I would not be surprised if it goes back to something as crazy as somebody tek a man gyal.
MVP has been acting as if they go by another rule when it come's to their athletes. The camp is suppose to bring everyone together has a team. They know the camp was mandatory but the coach does not want to be away from his athletes for the week long camp and he does not want to be a part of the national coaching ranks. So the drama continues>>>>>>>>>> Although it is hard for the athletes who trained hard and cannot compete now at some point action must be taken agaisnt MVP management. JAAA and MVP need to sit down and talk then shake hands.
Somehow we get cannot unite when we have success and build on it. See what happen to the reggae boys after France 98.
Blessed are those that buck the system, they make our lives better.
