In June 2011, Minister of Sport Anil Roberts was quoted as saying, "So when athletes feel they deserve funding, that's not how it works. You get what you deserve, based on your work ethic, on your pride and love for country, on how you perform." So what does he have to say about the work ethic of his swimming charge, George Bovell III, who went all the way to Shanghai to swim 50 metres? While his contemporaries like Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte (who beat him by a mere two-hundredths of a second for the silver medal in Athens) were swimming (and winning) several races, Bovell decided that he must "rest" (from what?) to improve his chances in the 50 metres freestyle, the only race in which he competed.
Good thing he "rested" else he might have come last instead of seventh. Now it would normally be a big achievement to reach a world swimming final. But not for an "elite" athlete like Bovell. How come Phelps, Lochte and others can swim so many races without complaining? Makes me wonder whether the coach was doing enough to get his swimmer fit for a world championship. What about our other "elite" athletes? Apart from Kelly-Ann Baptiste winning the 100 metres in Paris, almost all our other runners consistently finished in the last four places, sometimes in "B" finals. So what are we getting for our funding of these athletes? It's time to take a second look and determine whether or not this is money well spent.
L Hart
Arima