LEFT/RIGHT COMBINATION: Barbadian boxers Shawn Terry Cox (left) and Anderson Emmanuel showing off their medals at the Grantley Adams Airport, Monday night.

by MIKE KING

PRESIDENT OF THE AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION OF BARBADOS (ABAB) JOYCE BOWEN, has slammed the refereeing at the 20th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games.

Bowen, who managed the team of Shawn Terry-Cox and Anderson Emmanuel, both of whom captured medals, told the DAILY NATION, there was a bias against boxers from the English-speaking Caribbean.

"The refereeing was poor. The English-speaking representatives had to hold a meeting to speak out about what was happening. We saw a Jamaican get disqualify without a caution. Our boys had to be very technical and stick to the basics," she said.

The ABAB president said there seem to be one rule for the boxers from Central America and another for the Caribbean.

"There was a fight in which a Colombian boxer's shoulder slipped out of place. But the doctor let the fight continue. When Shawn Terry fought for the gold medal, the Cuban caught him with a right hand, he slipped and tried to break the fall with the hand that was injured before the tournament.

"The referee went over to the doctor, but the doctor did not understand what the referee said and checked Shawn's nose and mouth. When the doctor finally realised, he should have been examining the hand, he then pulled it rough and stopped the fight. We were all very upset," she said.

Bowen, 53, the first female boxing chief administrator in the country, was nontheless please with Cox's silver in the light heavyweight division and Emmanuel's bronze in the heavyweight class.

"We weren't outboxed or outclassed. We left here hoping for two medals and we got them. I am more than happy. The boys boxed their hearts out.

"Boxing has delivered again. I am happy they have added to the Barbados medal count; I commend them both," she said.

It was the third CAC medal for the experienced Cox. He won bronze at the 1998 Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and snatched gold at the 2002 edition in El Salvador.

Bowen wants to know when corporate Barbados would finally come forward and support boxing, which has been the country's leading sport over the last five years.

"It's no secret the facilities for our boxers are a disgrace. I am disappointed that no company has stepped forward and sponsored the Barbados boxing team. We need to have one of the major firms backing us.

"It's a shame we have just one set of track suits. Our boys have to train in short pants and old T-shirts. Our boxers should be looking and feeling good about themselves. It hurts me when I see boxers from smaller countries with the appropriate training gear and a number of track suits. Boxing has been producing. We shouldn't have to go out there begging and beseeching.

"We need to make the boxers feel loved, wanted and needed. Everyone wants to feel appreciated," she added.

The boxers were part of a large contingent that returned home from Colombia and Santo Domingo over the past few days.

Barbados had its best ever outing at a CAC Games, collecting a record 19 medals, and chef-de-mission Craig Archer said the disciplined unit not only brought medals, but also created a number of new national records and personal bests.

And for the first time, a Barbadian competed in two separate disciplines at the same meet. Shawn Simpson, 22, competed in squash and volleyball, and he was a happy camper when he was met Monday night by his dad Orson at the airport.

Also arriving with their medals were discus bronze medal winner Keisha Walkes, and fellow bronzewoman Jade Latoya Bailey, who earned her medal with a lifetime best 23.31 secs in the women's 200 metres.