‘Friends of Table Tennis’ tight-lipped on mediation meeting

Karen Lym, Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) presidential hopeful and leader of the ‘Friends of Table Tennis’ group, was tight-lipped about the results of Monday’s proposed mediation meeting with JTTA President Godfrey Lothian and his administration, which took place at the office of the Sports Development Foundation.

The meeting, which was organised to help resolve some of the bones of contention between both parties, went ahead, but not as planned, according to one source, who noted that no one from Lothian’s administration was present.

However, Lym insists that the word from their mediator was that they should refrain from divulging information to the media until they have fully resolved certain issues among themselves.

CLEARING THE AIR

“The person who stood in as mediator doesn’t want us to really speak until everything is cleared up. There are some things we need to work out, and we just want to work it out. We don’t want to say something that the other side don’t agree to. We just want to be on the same page so we can move forward,” Lym said

The JTTA presidential hopeful was also uncertain as to how soon information on the meeting will be available.

“I am trying to work with them (group) to see where we are at and what can be done, and I feel like we will be working through the night. I don’t really want to make a commitment and it doesn’t work out. We are still working on challenges that we are having, and we are told not to say anything until everything is cleared up.

“We made a promise and we don’t want to go back on it. But as soon as it is cleared up I will be happy to (talk). But we have already promised not to, and I don’t want to be the one person that breaks the promise,” she stated.

The ‘Friends of Table Tennis’ group came into being after Lym lost in a run-off for office in February. However, she protested that the elections were unfair and took Lothian’s administration to court, which cancelled the election results and ruled the constitution and the organisation’s new name Table Tennis Jamaica null and void. However, it was ruled that Lothian was to remain until new elections are held.

Lothian, who revealed that a special general meeting and fresh elections will be held before the year is out, had declared that he or no one from his administration would be attending the meeting.