SKNAAA releases financial documents to press
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE recent controversial issue surrounding the St. Kitts and Nevis Amateur Athletics Association’s (SKNAAA) and Kim Collins’ response of his non-participation at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, as well as the Federation’s athletes’ disappointment over the 20 percent levy on their gross earnings, has unearthed some startling revelations.
On Thursday (Feb. 16), SKNVibes broke the news that the Federation’s athletes who will be selected to compete in the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships will have to pay the SKNAAA a fee equal to 20 percent of the gross amounts earned at the meet.
This media house contacted the association’s PRO, Evris Huggins, who in an exclusive interview said the decision was made in an effort to recoup expenses incurred and to maintain the current development programmes of the nation’s junior athletes.
SKNVibes also learnt that some of the athletes claimed not to have been forewarned and could not understand the reason for this new development.
Huggins however explained that the national team has not yet been selected and the contract was sent to all the qualified athletes with the aim of informing them of the new clause.
“The contract is not foreign to any athlete…only the new clause. This contract was sent to all athletes who are currently on the association’s email distribution list, because the team has not yet been selected for the upcoming IAAF World Indoor Championships. In other words, the contract is a warning to the athletes that these are the expectations from here onwards, because the association can no longer afford to subsidise the exorbitant costs of sending athletes half way around the world to compete in meets.”
Consequently, Collins, the Athletes’ Representative, contacted this media house and emphatically stated that this new decision would not work and some athletes are no longer interested in the World Championships because of it.
“It is supposed to be designed to help the sport but I don’t think it’s working. Twenty percent is a lot of money and we’re looking at the managers that take 15 percent. You go to games or championships and you get prize money, and now 35 percent of that will be gone,” he said.
He referred to the decision as unorthodox and reiterated that 20 percent is too high.
“It is something not normal, and to start at 20 percent, that is high. And persons are not happy about that…they are not happy that this has to happen in order for them to compete for their country.”
The former World Champion said that some of the athletes would leave their place of employment to train and compete overseas and are not compensated for their leave of absence and so depend on their earnings at the meet.
“What’s going to happen is that persons wouldn’t want to represent their country because of this. I already told them that I’m not going because of this and I think they are going to have a hard time finding persons to go. I am very disappointed with what has taken place,” he added.
Collins claimed that last year in Daegu the relay team that placed third received a total of US$20 000 and that team had comprised five athletes including himself.
“We ended up receiving US$3 000 because the association took US$5 000 from what we won for that race and this was something we were not informed of before. It was a shock to us the athletes, knowing that they feel this money should be given to them, and at the end of the day the association ended up with more than we who ran…the SKNAAA ended up with US$5 000 and we ended up with US$3 000. That was unfair!”
A visit to the SKNAAA’s office in Dorset, Basseterre, where discussions were had with President Glenville Jeffers, Vice President Lester Hanley and PRO Huggins who made available a number of privileged documents to SKNVibes, resulted in distortion of the facts by Collins and the athletes’ misperception of the decision.
Jeffers produced an IAAF Statement of Account that was submitted to the SKNAAA in December 2011.
The document read: “Dear President, I am pleased to inform you that on December 12, 2011 we made a transfer in the amount of US$16 675 to the bank account of your Federation. The breakdown is as follows:
• 2012 Affiliation Fee – US$200
• 2011 World Athletics Day – US1 000
• 2011 Adjustment for World Championships in Daegu – US$4 125
• Prize Money for 2011 4X199m Relay – US$20 000
• Less Deduction of – US$4 125
• Total – US$15 875
This Statement of Account therefore contradicts Collins’ allegation of US$20 000 received by the SKNAAA.
In verification of how the US$15 875 was disbursed, Jeffers produced another document which showed that all five athletes had received US$3 000 each (18.9% each of the US$15 875) and the SKNAAA US$875 (5.5% of the total amount).
The document also listed the name of each athlete and the numbers of the cheques paid to them at Scotia Bank, including Collins’ with the numbers 0296 and dated January 5, 2012.
Jeffers explained that the US$4 125 deducted from the US$20 000 by the IAAF was a penalty because of the SKNAAA sending a five-man team and only four participated in the relay events.
The three Executives also produced a document outlining the total expenses incurred for the 2011 Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
The document states that US$21 934.81 was spent on travel expenses and personal stipend for athletes; while travel, accommodation and personal stipend for officials, Alonzo Wilkinson and Ishton Williams, amounted to US$11 369.36.
Additional expenses for rental of chairs and table at the World Conference, reimbursement on telephone calls, purchase of a container and extra luggage for Kim Collins amounted to US$76.63, making it a grand total of US$33 380.80.
“These expenses,” the Executives declared, “were paid from the SKNAAA’s account at Scotia Bank which is 51365068. Therefore, could these expenses be covered by the US$5 000 Collins alleged that the association got after disbursement of the US$15 875?”
They also expressed their disappointment in Collins, noting that their names are being tarnished and that they are not pleased with his insinuations.
Hanley said Collins is an Executive Member of the SKNAAA and is privy to all documents received and dispatched by the local athletics body.
In furtherance of their denouncement of Collins’ insinuations and to clear the air on the 20 percent levy, the three Executives claimed that Collins had knowledge of how much money was disbursed to the athletes and also prior knowledge of the levy.
They produced the Minutes of an Emergency Executive Committee Meeting held in the office of the SKNAAA on Thursday, January 5, 2012 where discussions were held on the disbursement and a number of comments and suggestions made.
According to the Minutes, among those present was Collins as the Athletes Representative, who suggested during discussions on the levy that “the rate usually taken by an agent should be used as a guide. The rate is usually 20 percent taken either on the gross or the net of the monetary prize”.
In response to the reason why Kim Collins had gone public with his insinuations when he, as a member of the Executive Committee, had suggested the 20 percent levy, Hanley said, “We are unaware of his motives and we do not talk about these things publicly because we have to be sensitive about how we get our monies.
“Joe Black on the street who likes the programme may give a small contribution, but we have to fight for every cent that we get…we are not subsidised by anyone. And to be in the public talking about who get, who didn’t get, who gave and who took leave a very bad taste in people’s mouth. Not only that, but if you are making US$3 000 for showing up for an event, why do we need to make that public?”
In his explanation as to how the SKNAAA is financed, Jeffers said, “Our primary money earner is the Inter-School Championships and 100 percent of the revenue earned from that is used to finance those athletes to participate in other competitions such as CARIFTA Games. We do not earn money from the RAMS Championships…we are always at a loss. Last year we lost EC$10 000 and this is because all monies that we make are given back to the primary schools for the development of their athletes. We have a number of programmes aimed at developing those young athletes.
“We also get a yearly grant of US15 000 as an administrative subsidy from the IAAF which is being used to rent an office, pay electricity bills, phone calls, the sending of fax, etc. We also use some of that money for our development meets by paying for the ground transportation within St. Kitts and Nevis. Nothing is free! We even have to pay for the use of the school buses. We even have to pay Departure Tax for our athletes. It’s not as it was in the past…it is now two years since we have to pay for them.”
Jeffers also said that the association gets assistance from the St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee.
“We also get assistance from the Olympic Committee for getting the athletes prepared to participate in specific events. The Olympic Committee controls multi-sports such as the Central America and Caribbean Games, Pan American Games and also the Commonwealth Games. So, their interest, from the Olympic standpoint, is in preparing the athletes to make sure the Olympic Committee looks good in those multi-sports games. So, we get the assistance by letting them know that we have identified and shortlisted a number of athletes for whom we need some additional training for a specific meet. In other words, we submit a proposal because the association is a member of the Olympic Committee.”
The Executives stated that the team for this year’s Indoor Championships would be announced sometime this week but one of the shortlisted males would not be selected.
“We have six athletes who are qualified for the Championships - three males and three females. The females will run in different events but we have three males who are qualified to run in the same event. That is the 60m, so somebody has to be knocked out of that event because the rules state that only two athletes from each Member Federation could compete in the same event. Therefore, the maximum amount of athletes that we can send to the championships is five.
“The male qualifiers are Kim Collins, Brijesh Lawrence and Antoine Adams, and the females are Tamika Williams, Marecia Pemberton and Tiandra Ponteen. Williams and Pemberton will be competing in the 60m and Ponteen in the 400m.
