Garriques: Intercol presidency issue a distraction

Jamaica Intercollegiate Sports Association (Intercol) general secretary, Laurence Garriques, says that the controversy surrounding the eligibility of president Dalton Myers has come at the worst possible time for the body.

Myers, a former head of sports at the University of the West Indies (UWI), has come under scrutiny for whether he should continue to lead Intercol. Questions are being asked of whether Myers is still a staff member at UWI he served at the school as a part-time lecturer over the last academic year. It is also being questioned whether he is in breach of Article 7 of the association's constitution which says that only employees of member institutions may be elected to its executive. It adds that if an executive member resigns from his or her post at the Intercol member institution, he or she cannot continue on the association's board.

Myers is currently on broadcast duty at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, while Intercol is making preparations to send 16 athletes to the World University Games in Chinese Taipei next month. Garriques said that with both of these factors in mind, the anonymous letter, which brought up issues with Myers is an unneeded distraction.

"It has come up at a very bad time," Garriques told The Gleaner. "In dealing with these many issues, this is sidetracking what we really intend to focus on at this point."

- R.P.