THE IDEA of sending only medal prospects to the Olympics isn’t cutting it.
The bottom line is that if you have qualified, you automatically earn the right to go to this prestigious global event.
To do otherwise, would be to deprive athletes of the dedication and the hard work they put into the four-year cycle leading up to the Games. You can’t punish someone like that by leaving them off the team simply because you think their chances of medalling are minimal or nonexistent.
In fact, that route would be the best way to demoralise and demotivate athletes who would then view their participation in sports as useless, and that can breed other connotations which may not be positive. That person could become lost to the sport after reflecting on what could be regarded as unfair treatment.
I am sure there are several examples of this type in our midst who quit because they got a bad break and even if they continue, it’s not with the same purpose and intensity. So we have people who become just another statistic.
This is what we don’t want. We need a process where people can inspire each other and one of the ways this can be done is by giving people their due. Going to the Olympics falls into this category. Once you qualify, you should be on the team.
Of course, there are instances where athletes are given so-called quota spots, a la Alex Sobers and Lani Cabrera in swimming. This shows the people who make such decisions are not only concerned about medal prospects but also giving athletes on the fringe an opportunity to broaden their scope and to develop by competing against the world’s best.
Who’s to say that Cabrera and Sobers won’t be serious contenders for the 2020 Games if they aren’t for 2016? But how far would they have gotten if they weren’t provided with the chance in the first place to be among the best.
Don’t be fooled. In a lot of cases medalling is a process.
Usain Bolt was a precocious talent from junior days but he was a non-factor in the 2004 Olympics. He and his team went back to the drawing board and we know the rest is now history.
His case is a perfect example that natural talent is not the only ingredient it takes to become a winner. You have to be fit and healthy in the first place and coaches have to devise a programme to suit the needs of their charges in an effort to get the best out of them.
Then there’s the small issue of having to compete against others with similar skills and ambitions. The only lane you control is yours, and even so, something like a false start or injury could spoil your Olympic dream. Four years of hard work and sacrifice could go down the drain just like that.
We have had some medal prospects in the past, but only Oba, with his bronze in the men’s 100 metres at the Sydney Olympics, has won a medal for Barbados. Does it mean he was the only one worthy of going to the biggest multi-sport event in the world?
It would appear there are underlying factors which could militate against some of our better athletes in various disciplines failing to make an impression at global events such as the Olympics.
I am often reminded that prior to the 1976 Montreal Olympics in Canada, middle distance star Orlando Greene was rated No. 2 in the world in the 800 metres, but he wasn’t able to prepare like his peers because of a lack of funding and didn’t live up to expectations there.
The real significant point has to be made that tangible support for our sportsmen must be given throughout the four-year cycle between Games and not only in competition year, otherwise we will always be playing catch-up and more than likely taking it out on underperforming athletes, especially those not touted as medal prospects.
Other sports like football and netball have severe challenges in this respect. The question should be asked, how many international matches would they have played during their respective cycles before going into World Championships, compared to their opponents?
So we must consider the various dynamics before we come down too hard on our athletes when they don’t get on the podium. The type of infrastructure we have in place could influence performance.
But who would be in their right mind to have a problem with Akela Jones or Sada Williams if they don’t medal at their first Olympics in Rio? The first part of the process was to qualify, and they duly did. It had nothing to do with being medal prospects. This is the lone requirement for all getting ready for Brazil.