Gayle will be instructed not to respond to Ricketts
Published:Saturday | August 19, 2023 | 12:07 AM
BUDAPEST, Hungary:
With the harsh criticism levelled at Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president Garth Gayle by jumps coach Kerry Lee Ricketts over the decision to not select a national jumps coach as well as his tenure as president, Jamaica’s press liaison at the World Athletics Championships, Dennis Gordon, says he will instruct the president not to respond to the allegations.
This comes after Ricketts slammed the decision not to include a jumps coach after having indicated his availability to Gayle after the National Championships earlier this year. He was not selected.
Ricketts claims that a personal issue between him and Gayle is the cause.
“I emailed Garth Gayle, the president, making it known that I was available should I be selected. He told me that he should have passed on that information. After that, a team was named. There was no jumps coach, which seemed ridiculous to me,” Ricketts said.
“I was told by two members of the selection committee that the buck stopped with president Garth Gayle, who, I think, has a personal vendetta against me.
Gordon said that he would not allow the issue to escalate any further, and will be advising the president not to respond.
“Bringing the JAAA office into disrepute is on him. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that the president has to respond. It has to stop somewhere,” Gordon said. “This president since he took office has done more for track and field than any other president. I am not going to ask him to respond. I want to defuse it. My job is to ensure that the integrity of the president’s office is intact.”
Gayle said that the option of having a personal coach offers the ability to fill the need for the jumps category and believes the issue should not have to be debated.
“All of our athletes are prepared by coaches, and these coaches are those who have gotten the nod from the selection committee to be on the team, but there is a rule open for all other coaches in the category of personal coaches,” Gayle said. “We have made it available. None of our athletes who would have approached the association and asked for assistance has been denied that support.”
Ricketts, however, disagrees
“There should be a debate and it is important. When you look at the Jamaican jumps team right now, we can garner at least four medals. So why is it that he is saying that personal coaches are here and we are OK with that? Why is it that the jumps are always suffering? Is it a coincidence or is it that the main name who will be selected is Kerry Lee Ricketts? So rather than choosing Kerry Lee Ricketts, you rather not choose a jumps coach? I can’t see the JAAAs going forward with this man as president,” Ricketts said.