The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@trobunermedia.net

BAHAMAS Association of Athletic Associations’ special projects officer Dexter Bodie says “enough is enough” and he is calling for a full explanation on a series of matters that have plagued the association.

But BAAA president Mike Sands said as an executive, Bodie is quite aware of everything that goes on in the association and his accusations against him and the executive board is unwarranted.

Bodie, who serves as the coach for the Road Runners Track Club, called a press conference on Saturday to say the BAAA has not had an executive meeting since May 1 when a vote of no confidence was cast against first vice president Iram Lewis, secretary general Carl Oliver and Parents Association president Harrison Petty.

“Anytime we made an attempt, it was suspended because Iram, Carl and Mr Petty always showed up to the meeting as they were told by their lawyer (Ruth Bowe-Darville),” Bodie said. “There are a lot of decisions being made by Mike Sands, the president and whoever.

“But as far as I’m concerned, as an executive, we are being disrespected by the president, who is making a lot of decisions for the association without including his executives,”

Bodie said a decision was made to put persons on the management team that was not approved by the executive board. Bodie was referring to the management team selected to travel to Moscow, Russia, next month.

The management team comprises of the following:

The team manager is Ralph McKinney, assisted by Mabelene Miller. The technical leader is Frank Rahming. The team officials are Drumeco Archer, Philippa Willie, Michael Sands and Phillip Clausen. The coaching staff are George Cleare, head coach, assisted by Fritz Grant, Tyrone Burrows and James Rolle.

The medical team are Keir Miller and Khalid Hanna.

“When we came to office, we made it mandatory that all managers and coaches will be selected by the BAAA board,” Bodie said. “That is documented. But it seems as if the organisation is being ran by Mike Sands and whoever else he feels he could talk to or is giving him advice, but it’s not coming from the executives.”

He claimed that the BAAA decision to cancel the training prior to travelling to the World Championships was a decision that was also made by Sands without the input from the executives.

Bodie said the executive board elected to office in November has not been performing their duties because Sands has yet to distribute any portfolio to the team and, as a result, they are not functioning.

As for the “vote of no confidence” in Lewis, Oliver and Petty, Bodie said everybody is trying to resolve the matter, but Sands is the only person who is not willing to bring the dispute to an end.

“I think the dispute has caused the BAAA from getting a lot of funding,” Bodie said. “When you ask a lot of people, they are asking what’s going on with the BAAA and when are you going to solve this dispute. They are not going to contribute any funding until the matter has been resolved.”

Bodie said up to March when the last financial report was produced, the BAAA had about $271,000 in their two bank accounts combined, but the BAAA is in a dilemma trying to find sufficient funding to purchase the airline tickets for the team to travel to Moscow.

When asked if his accusations are being levied against Sands because he’s not going on the trip, Bodie quickly rejected that assertion, stating that if he wants to travel, he has the necessary funding to do so. But he doesn’t have any interest in going.

“I’m going to Orlando with my track club to the AAU Championships and enjoy myself. That’s all that matters to me,” he said. “I’m not concerned about trips. That’s not my priority. If I want to go somewhere I will pay. I have a credit card and I have money in the bank.

“I just want to see the organisation go forward in the right direction, catering to the athletes and the stakeholders. I just think enough is enough.”

In response, Sands said at the last general meeting of the membership, all of the names of the people selected for the World Championship team were presented after they met to discuss the way forward.

“I don’t want to start a public debate with another executive,” Sands said. “Decisions are made in consultation with the members. When the team was named for the World Championship, the names of the persons selected were presented to the body.”

As for the cancellation of the training camp, Sands said it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

“If there is no funds, how can you have a training camp,” he said. “We could not hold the camp because the funds are not there. We discussed with the management and coaching staff of the option of going into Georgia where the head coach is located or go to Cuba.

“We were looking at the prices, but the bottom line is there wasn’t any funding to do it. Do I have to wait to go to the membership and say that we don’t have the funding, so do we cancel it or not. That claim doesn’t make any sense because the funding just wasn’t there.”

On the claim that there was more than $271,000 in the bank, Sands said everybody is aware that the BAAA has already sent three teams off - one to Ukraine, one to Mexico and another to Curacoa.

“We would have spent in excess of $200,000 for those trips,” Sands said. “We went into Grand Bahama, hoping to yield a profit at the Nationals, but we lost money. So at the end of the day, it’s unfounded to make those statements because the funds have been spent on the team travel and every fund has been accounted for.”

Sands said the BAAA is trying to secure the necessary funding to send the team to the World Championships. He noted that the tickets alone are costing about $2,100 per person and that is what they are desperately trying to work on because the team needs to travel.

“I’m surprised that not one of those persons like Dexter, who are complaining, have made one recommendation as to how we can go about trying to raise funds so that we can send the team off,” he said. “That’s what I’m more concerned about and not focusing on the negative things that are not helping us at all.”

At the end of the World Championships, Sands said the BAAA still has to find the necessary funding to send a national team off to compete at the Jr Pan American Championship.

“I’m very disappointed that he will take these issues to the press that really don’t have any basis,” Sands said. “Our success has become our worst enemy because, for the first time, we have all four relay teams qualified, so that’s an additional minimum of eight persons that we have to take to Russia.

“My focus over the next couple weeks is trying to get the funding necessary for those teams to travel. I wish not to talk about the vote of no confidence because it’s an issue that they have taken to court and if they want it resolved, all they have to do is take it out of the court system.”