Top local pool players who visited Barbados last week were allegedly conned by a pool 'organiser' and left without any accommodation and tournament to play upon their arrival in Barbados.
Nazim Mohammed one of the top-ranked players in the country told Guardian Media Sports that the organiser had sent out an invitation to countries in the region inviting their top two players, each of whom would have gotten free airfare and accommodation to a tournament. He said, "Others could have attended at their own expense and all our players sent our registration fee of US$75 by money transfer to the organiser. There were 50 players carded to play in the tournament including 32 foreign nationals. The name of the tournament was 'Rack Em Up' pool tournament."
Mohammed said, firstly, no ticket was sent to the two T&T representatives who were chosen. “The players organised their own airline tickets and flew across to Barbados with the hope that their money would have been refunded. However, when they arrive they got a further shock as the hotel where the players were to stay had no knowledge or booking with regards to the tournament, so they were basically on the streets. They had to find their own funds to book a place to stay, while they waited for information from the organiser.
Five members of the national pool team in total flew to Barbados to participate in their first ever regional Nine-Ball Pool Championships.
Sherri Shepherd, a Barbadian national female player had negotiated support from both the private sector and their Ministry of Sport to make this event a reality. Even though the tickets and accommodation for the top two players from each Caribbean country were to be sponsored by the organiser, invitations for other players were also extended. The tournament was to feature talent from Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique St Kitts, St Lucia, T&T and off course Barbados.
However, all of this came to nothing according to Mohammed, as the players had nowhere to stay and no tournament to play. “We see this degree of contempt and we are calling on the Barbados government and also the Barbados Pool Development Organisation (BDPO) to take action against the perpetrators. Mohammed added that when they contacted the police, they said that they could not assist in the matter.
Larry Noel, the president of the Grenada Pool Association was also in Barbados and was unhappy with the treatment meted out to the top pool players in the Caribbean. He said, “We were all looking forward to coming here to play in this tournament. People spent a lot of money to come in and look at the situation that greeted them. The largest foreign contingent came from Guyana and these men spent around US$2,000 each to come there and for what?”
Mohammed made it clear that the BPDO had no part to play in hosting the event. It was done by a sole member of the organization as a private project. The Barbadian players were supposed to make statements to the police on Friday.