Guyana’s Olympic boxer Keevin Allicock on Wednesday evening issued a call, via his social media platform, for betterment for local athletes as he related his experiences at the just concluded South American Games in Paraguay.
Allicock, who copped a bronze at the Games, took ill during the event, and due to Guyana not having a medical personnel part to the contingent, assistance had to be sought elsewhere.
The boxer also hinted at his relationship with the Guyana Boxing Association, one which he insinuated may be far from healthy.
Read full post by Keevin Allicock
On Thursday, the Association highlighted that Allicock has a history of indiscipline, as recent as the preparatory period for the South American Games.
A release from the Association added that: “The GBA is in the process of launching a formal internal investigation into the intricacies and details surrounding the entire episode to find a solution, which is not insulated from facts.”
Below is the full release from the Association
The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), regrettably, is forced to respond to comments made by local boxer Keevin Allicock on his personal page on the social media platform – Facebook.
Mr. Allicock via a public proclamation on his Facebook page, criticised primarily the GBA and partially, the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) for the lack of a physiotherapist and medical personnel at the 2022 South American Games.
“My reason for this bold step is to be an advocate for myself and other sportsmen and women who are deserving of basic yet fundamental privileges. One such privilege includes having a physiotherapist and a medical examiner as part of the traveling delegation to international sports tournaments of which Guyana athletes attend and represent the Co-operative Republic of Guyana without hesitation.”
Allicock disclosed that he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis on October 11th, and received treatment from the medical officers of the Panama delegation until an ambulance arrived, following an ordeal that lasted 30 minutes.
Mr. Allicock lost his semi-final match at the championship, after failing to make weight; a reality which he essentially blames on the lack of physiotherapist, medical personnel, and the absence of a scale to confirm his weight, which is in his estimation, is indicative of the lack of structures to ensure the safety and well-being of athletes.
He also alluded to a strained relationship with the GBA executive, whilst making spurious claims of being “thrown into the lion’s den many times before by my own boxing association – something I am unafraid to mention.”
It is lamentable that Allicock opted to utilise the public space rather than the internal mechanisms, and channels that are certainly afforded to him to ventilate any issue linked with the association.
In light of these comments, the GBA wishes to inform that:
1: Cuban coach Franciso Roldan, who was a vital cog in the preparation of the pugilists prior to their departure, has documented that Allicock only attended 16 of the maximum 43 training sessions prior to his international sojourn.
This equates to an attendance rate of 37%, which certainly isn’t ideal ahead of such an important national assignment, and possibly warrants non-selection.
For comparative purposes, but more importantly, for scrutiny and transparency, the respective examination of teammates Desmond Amsterdam and Colin Lewis’s participation in the same practice sessions must also be juxtaposed.
In comparison, Amsterdam attended 35 of the 43 sessions at a rate of 81.3% while continuing in the same mold, Lewis recorded an attendance rate of 58.1% after attending 25 of the 43 sessions.
2: Mr. Allicock has had a history of such indiscipline, which in February of this year, forced the GBA executive to remove him from Guyana’s team preparing for the American Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Elite Continental Championships.
This decision was made by the GBA Coaches Committee and resulted from his lack of commitment to training. Unfortunately, the aforesaid wasn’t an anomaly. In 2019, he was also suspended by the association from national duties following a similar disregard for training.
Mr. Allicock was scheduled to represent Guyana at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, but was delinquent in his attendance to training between the May 1-23 preparatory phase.
The record indicated that he had only attended 12 of the 30 scheduled sessions under the tutelage of Roldan. This translates to a meagre 40%. The ‘everyone’s fault but mine’ excuse is worn out and no longer acceptable.
3: In the last decade Mr. Allicock has been provided more resources than any other local boxer and was availed access to every major international tournament in the world. This underlines the fact that the GBA has/is leaving no stone unturned relating to his development in the sport.
4: While the GBA concedes that the lack of a medical practitioner and physiotherapist at the championship was unfortunate, this aberration was a reality lived and incurred by each local association that was represented and not simply a blemish or culpability of the boxing fraternity.
5: Mr. Allicock’s attitude towards training, subsequent weight issue and dehydration in Paraguay may be correlated.
Emotions are a useful servant, but a terrible master. The GBA is certainly opposed to going back and forth on this issue which has many movable parts, and that gives way, and caters to mass ignorance.
The GBA is in the process of launching a formal internal investigation into the intricacies and details surrounding the entire episode to find a solution, which is not insulated from facts.
We also remain committed to the development of the sport, and working with all stakeholders to forge a sustainable pathway for the advancement of the discipline.
