Atkins ‘Must’ Show Fitness
By Gerrino Saunders
The World Championships of Athletics in Osaka, Japan, August 25-31 will feature the best track and field athletes in the world, and will likely be the most-watched sporting event on television during that period.
Derrick Atkins
The Bahamas will send a 17-member team of athletes to the championships that will include Pan American gold medallist Chris Brown and silver medallist Christine Amertil-Ling along with Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie who is expected to be over a battle with chicken pox.
However, there are still some questions about the participation of national 100m record holder and champion Derrick Atkins’ after he missed the Pan American Games because of a slight leg injury.
Based upon an interview with the president of the Bahamas Association of Athletics Associations, the picture, surrounding Williams-Darling is even cloudier than that of Atkins.
Recently BAAA chief Mike Sands confirmed that Atkins, who has been running consistent 9.90s and 10.0s in the 100m, will have to show fitness before Monday August 13.
(I’M GUESSING ATKINS’ RUN IN STOCKHOLM HAS SORTED OUT THE SITUATION.kk)
Sands pointed out that demanding Atkins to show fitness is no type of punishment or reprisal for him missing the Pan American Games however.
"The difficult thing about the situation is that we cannot tell someone that they are not injured. We leave that up to a doctor’s report and to the integrity of the individual.
“Even though some members of the public, and members from the track and field community may have their skepticism about the injury, we can’t say to him ‘you are not injured,’ So now it is to the point where he must show the level of fitness that he has displayed earlier in the year,” said Sands
He also informed that Atkin’s manager, former British sprinter John Regis flew into Rio De Janeiro and spoke with the coaches of The Bahamas track and field team to explain Atkins’ position. Sands previously received a letter directly from Atkins stating the position.
However, Sands said he was still awaiting the full details of that meeting (Regis with team officials), and until he has discussed the matter with the executives of the BAAA he is not at liberty to discuss the matter further. The BAAA President confirmed though that Atkins has agreed to show fitness before the Worlds’ deadline.
Atkins’ last race prior to the Pan American Games was when he ran 10.02 for a second place finish behind world record holder Asafa Powell on July 13 in Rome, Italy.
After that race Atkins reportedly told the BAAA that a slight leg injury prevented him from getting out of the blocks as effectively as he would have liked to. He attained treatment for the injury in Germany, which was his reason for missing the Pan Am Games.
Meanwhile, The Bahamas’ biggest star World and Olympic Champion Tonique Williams-Darling was also missing, and on Thursday Sands said, "It’s going to be “her call” if she is going to compete.
“After not having competed very much this year then to open up or run a second or third meet at the World championship level is a very difficult thing to do. However, because she is the defending champion Tonique does have an automatic bid to the Worlds. At this stage though we are not certain on what she will do,” said Sands.
Williams-Darling was scheduled to compete on the Pan American team but The Journal has been informed that the week of the event she communicated to the BAAA a slight injury in practice.
Sands took issue with the fact that no athlete from any of the seven disciplines that competed at the Pan Am Games received a daily stipend from the Bahamas Olympic Association.
“It has been customary for athletes on national teams competing at the CAC Games, the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games and the Olympics to receive a daily stipend of at least $25 dollars while competing, which helps with them buying toiletries, little snacks, and even souvenirs for their loved ones and for their own memories,” said Sands.
Although coaches at the Pan Am Games did not magnify the issue, Sands informed that those leaders of the sports disciplines including swimming are not happy that it happened, and would like to see it corrected for future teams.
Sands wanted to know if those “executive members of the BOA who attended the games had daily stipends and if so to what degree,” he asked.
He said, “Nobody ever goes to a sporting event to see officials and team managers, they go to see the athletes, and the athletes are directly related to the fans and any funds raised by the events and they deserve the little stipends that has become a custom. The Olympic Associations should provide the absolute best for the athletes.”
The Journal contacted the BOA on the matter and Office Manager and Vice president Harcourt Rolle said “while it is true that we have often given stipends, that is only when the funds allow it. There is other times, when there are simply just not enough funds to give additional assistance in the area of stipends. Then, our main concern is to cover the general expenses, getting the team to and from the particular event, handling the costs for food, in-land transportation and meals.”
Sands acknowledged that it has also been a custom for the BAAA to host a training camp near the home of the championship prior to the World Championships or Olympics, however, he said after the BAAA has sent off seven national teams, at a cost of over $265,000 (including 135 athletes), finances are “depleted.”
He said, in addition to their efforts of trying to solicit funds from the private sector, The BAAA is expecting to get a favourable reply from the Government particularly as it relates to the World Championship. The Government he says has been accustomed to donating $50,000 towards the team.
Sands disclosed that at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki Finland, the Government undertook the entire cost of the team at a sum of approximately $84,000,00.
As a result of the drained resources he seriously doubts that the team would be able to attend a mini camp before heading to Osaka, Japan.