THE BARBADOS TEAM to the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi, India, in October has been reduced due to a lack of finances as well as sub-par performances by some disciplines and athletes at last month’s CAC Games.That news was released yesterday morning at the Barbados Olympic Association’s (BOA’s) Office, Wildey, by president Steve Stoute, who was flanked by CAC chef de mission Craig Archer and manager of the BOA’s Office, Glyne Clarke. Stoute stated that the BOA had held preliminary discussions “with national federations [and] it was agreed, in principle, that the CAC Games, which are the lowest level of competition, would be used as a guide for selection of the Commonwealth Games team”.There will be 19 individual athletes, while netball is the lone team sport which will be represented at the Commonwealth Games.The BOA was giving its report card on the CAC Games – held in Puerto Rico and Colombia – where Barbados earned ten medals and placed 11th among the nations.Top performersThe top performers were Bradley Ally, who won two gold medals in swimming, and World champion Ryan Brathwaite who claimed gold in the hurdles. Nicky Neckles became the first Barbadian to win a medal at three consecutive CAC Games.Stoute indicated that based on the CAC results the size of the Commonwealth team was reduced, with archery, badminton, table tennis, and weightlifting being cut from the team. The delegation sizes for boxing, cycling and shooting have also been reduced.With Ally opting out of the Commonwealth Games and Neckles retiring from competition, Stoute believes that Brathwaite, boxing and cycling should bring medals back from Delhi. However, concerns were expressed over boxer Anderson Emmanuel who for the second consecutive CAC Games had to withdraw from a semi-finals battle due to injury to end with a bronze.Emmanuel is provisionally in the Commonwealth squad but the BOA has stated that “we will be asking the Amateur Boxing Association of Barbados to carry out a review to ensure that Mr. Emmanuel’s technique is not the cause of these injuries”. “We will also require further evaluation by our medical personnel before Mr. Emmanuel is selected to travel under our umbrella again.”Stoute noted that the overseas preparation by the hockey teams helped them to earn medals and he added that with financial support more team sports could use that system to improve.SupportHowever, he asked for Government and private companies to offer more support to sport in the island since the BOA could not do it all alone.Commonwealth squadRyan Brathwaite, Shakera Reece, Stephen Headley (athletics); Anderson Emmanuel, Cobia Breedy (boxing); Barry Forde, Christian Lyte, Darren Matthews (cycling); Jennifer Jordan-Cousins, Louis King (full bore shooting); Chester Foster, Michael Benskin, Calvert Herbert, Bernard Chase (small bore shooting); Cheri-ann Parris, Shawn Simpson (squash); Raymond Edwards (swimming); Darian King, Haydn Lewis (tennis).
