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By Neto Baptiste
Minister of Sports Daryll Matthew said international rules governing how associations function and the chain of command regarding their operations has forced the government to take a hands-off approach regarding their internal affairs.
Matthew was addressing questions pertaining to the Antigua and Barbuda Amateur Boxing Association (ABABA) and the state of boxing in the twin-island nation where, for over a decade, there has been no national competitions, neither has the body held annual general meetings for a similar period under the presidency of Len Mussington.
“Of course, there is concern and you and your listeners would recognize that we have supported the athletes several times over the past three years. In fact, last National Sports Awards, we recognized some of our boxers who performed very well in regional and International competitions, and so we have made sure that while we are unable as a government and as a ministry to get directly involved in the affairs of national associations, the athletes do not suffer and have not been suffering. We have provided financial support for their travel, for their participation under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda in international events and it is something that we intend to continue doing,” he said.
Recently, a contingent of boxers and officials from the Uprising Gym were forced to seek their own funding after the association reportedly refused to sanction their trip to St Lucia to represent Antigua and Barbuda at the OECS Championships.
The absence of the association’s sanction meant that they could not access funding from the National Olympic Committee (NOC) or the Ministry of Sports.
Matthew said that although there is little that the ministry can do directly, there are plans to have talks with the NOC concerning the issue.
“It is definitely a conversation that I intend to have with the president of the National Olympic Committee to get a proper understanding and a clear way forward. I have no difficulty that the way forward is possible, because you may recall that for an extended period of time, there was a breakdown in the swimming fraternity — in excess on 20 years I believe — and the current president and the team of which I was a part, were able to bring that to a resolution to the point where swimming is now one of the model sports here in Antigua and Barbuda.
“I believe that this impasse in the boxing fraternity is not beyond our ability to resolve and I will certainly do my part,” the minister said.
The boxing federation has bordered on dormancy for many years and has not hosted any national competitions or development initiatives for both boxers and officials.
It has also failed to host annual general meetings and or constitutionally due elections.
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