Why no Ajay?

The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer.

By Mr. Adrian Odle.

Why no Ajay? When the best of St Vincent and the Grenadines are left behind without explanation, it raises a few questions. This month, those questions took the shape of Ajay Delplesche’s absence from the NACAC Games roster. It is not the first time his name has been missing from a major meet. He was also recently left out of the Pan American Games now taking place in Asunción, Paraguay, from 9 to 23 August.

Delplesche is not an unknown name to our Vincentian people, nor is he an unknown name to the region. In fact, he is the Grenada U20 boys’ 200m record holder. He is also the reigning national 200m champion in St Vincent and the Grenadines, one of the fastest sprinters this country has produced in years. Even as a schoolboy at Petit Bordel Secondary, he broke a 40-year-old high jump record, clearing 1.88 metres. He has sprinted in the 100, 200 and 400 metres, run anchor legs in relays, and placed second in the men’s open 100 metres at the Wendel Hercules National Club Championship. At the CARIFTA Games, he ran the U20 200 metres in 21.71 seconds even with the sole of his shoe being torn off in the home stretch. A show of resilience that cannot be matched.

And yet, when the national teams for major competitions are named, his absence is met with no explanation, just omission.

Times, distances, rankings — if they matter, say so. If discretion is exercised, justify it. When our athletes are omitted, tell them why. That is how they improve. That is how you keep the next generation believing the system will support them.

When they do make the team, send them with the coach who prepared them for that moment. Former Olympian and respected coach Pamenos Ballantyne has warned of the damage done when athletes are sent abroad with coaches who never trained them, while their real coaches are left behind. Kyle Lawrence, another Vincentian sprinter, was sent to Cali, Colombia, as part of the 2022 U20 World Championships without Ballantyne, the man who coached him to readiness. A coach is more than a title; they are the voice in the athlete’s ear, the one who can read their breathing, adjust their warm-up, or settle their mind before the gun goes off. Replacing that relationship with a stranger is not just disrespect; it is self-sabotage.

This is not a call for special treatment for Ajay Delplesche. It is a demand for a system that our athletes and nation can believe in. Make it clear that the best, by performance, will go and, when they do, make sure they stand on that line with the person who knows exactly how to get them ready for the race of their lives.

While we do know that absence from “mini meets” may contribute to selection, it should be clear for the athletes what counts and what does not.

This is bigger than medals. It is about the credibility of sport in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Without transparency, we teach every young athlete that talent and work may not be enough. We cannot afford to lose our best. Anything less is a disservice not just to Ajay Delplesche, but to the future of sport in this country.

END