Commentary
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IT IS TIME to place on record the train of events leading up to the Kim Collins Olympics debacle – events that might have changed this mild mannered, unassuming spectacular athlete into an independent operator, determined to push back on those who said they took his stature and experience into consideration but whose actions proved that they did not.
Kittitians and Nevisians yesterday (August 8) had the privilege of hearing from both sides - the National Olympic Committee via a Press Conference and from Kim Collins via the popular call-in programme ‘Voices’ on a local radio station.
Their stories did not completely mesh but what was very evident is the sour relationship existing between the SKNOC and Collins with each side faulting the other for the breakdown in communication and with each side defiantly justifying its actions.
Throughout the world, wherever Collins has run, and up to recently in St. Kitts, Kim has been described as a humble, cool guy, as one who loves his country and who had reached where he is today by his focus, dedication and commitment to his sport.
After his ascendancy to world fame due to his success at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and his success at the World Champion Games in France in 2003, he was described by some reporters as the “gazelle” in the athletic world.
So what changed? Why is he being described now as being “too big for his boots”; and was the SKNOC ‘using a sledgehammer to kill an ant’ as was described in some quarters?
What did Kim Collins mean when he told BBC Radio Five Alive, “I’ve been disrespected for too long for too many years.”?
To understand that statement one would have to be a resident of St. Kitts and understand how polarised this country is politically. So much so, that in any one administration it is seen as a justified right to totally ignore the skills and expertise of members of the opposing side and refrain from facilitating any upward mobility of these persons. Many have had to migrate to earn a living,
No one describes this better than the Deputy Prime Minister who in the euphoria of winning the 2004 election was heard to shout, “It’s Labour time now. I hate to see PAM (the Opposition) people getting through ahead of Labour people.”
Did Collins fall into this category? Admittedly, some events appear to endorse this.
Just this year when there was much to-do over welcoming members of the royal family during the Golden Jubilee celebrations, one of the events was held on the Kim Collins’ Highway and invitations were sent to dignitaries to meet the Duke and Duchess, but Kim Collins received no such invitation although the event was occurring on the road bearing his name.
When one compares this with the important part that was played by Usain Bolt, Jamaica’s world champion, in their Jubilee celebrations, one was left to wonder why Collins was not even invited and promoted as he,too, had become a world figure.
In 2004, shortly after Collins became a world champion, the National Women’s Group wanted to do something to honour him. They received permission from the Agricultural Dept to plant a number of Flamboyant Trees (Delonix Regia) – the national flower – along the sides of the Kim Collins Highway. In a simple ceremony Kim himself planted the first one and several trees were planted after this.
The very next day, the Minister sent his government workers to uproot the trees stating that no permission had been given to do this and that they had plans for the highway. In their anger, the workers uprooted more trees than NWG had even planted. Today, eight years after, no plans have materialised and the highway has not even had lighting.
The naming of the new Athletic Stadium was another instance where many felt that Collins was not given the respect he deserved. There was a very united request from the community (including sports bodies) to name the stadium the Kim Collins Stadium. It seemed the country was united on this issue.
However, the Government chose to name only a Stand after the world champion and the stadium was called by the very sterile name of the Silver Jubilee Stadium – a throwback to colonial times.
Even when Collins showed his commitment to sharing his knowledge and expertise through a Track and Field Camp in April 2011, under the theme ‘Sharing to Achieve Greatness’, he was given very little support.
The camp featured world class coaches and athletes providing valuable knowledge to over 100 children and their individual coaches, so that they could aspire towards greatness in this field.
'Every aspect of Track and Field was covered in great detail, including sessions in proper warming up and cooling down exercises, dangers of drugs and alcohol in sports, the life of being a student athlete, tips on becoming a professional athlete, weight and strength training, proper nutrition of athletes, baton passing and making a school’s sports day more exciting, and a bigger revenue earner.'
Collins told SKNVibes that he was hoping for better things to arrive as a result of the camp in terms of Track and Field in the Federation.
But after the camp, and on the talk show yesterday Collins revealed that much support was not forthcoming and he had to do almost everything.
“I was really thinking that there would have been other persons here to assist and, because of that situation, it made it more difficult,” Collins said.
In addition because of his association with Adidas, he was able to bring much sponsorship to athletes in the Federation. This is often forgotten.
So while in other countries and even in the Caribbean, Collins is given ‘a hero’s treatment’, in his own country, his treatment is very low key.
Yesterday, for the first time we heard about his medals being stolen since 2008 and he expressed dissatisfaction over what he thought were mediocre efforts to assist him in regaining them.
Arguments persist about the size of the house given to him when he became a World Champion, about the fact that there is no governmental acknowledgement on Kim Collins Day, and now about whether he can justify not being in Olympic Village when he left to be with his wife to garner some peace and quiet before his major event.
Unfortunately much of the support for Collins or lack of it falls directly along political lines.
While one side tries to boost him and openly acknowledge that he has placed St. Kitts on the world stage, the other tries to minimise his achievements, ignore his vast contribution and continually carry on egotistic battles to prove who is bigger than whom and who ought to be kept in his place.
The failure of the SKNOC to acknowledge the contribution his wife made to the team in general has also been a sore point with Collins.
At the Press Conference SKNOC indicated that they did not even know whether she was qualified or certified. Not so, said Collins in the call-in programme. They are very much aware that she is IAAF certified yet she was not allowed to join the team and he encountered difficulty in procuring passes for her to enter Olympic Village.
After years and years of travelling alone and now having his wife at this first important meet, this seeming disregard towards him and his wife all in a very charged and stressful atmosphere – this might have been the straw that eventually broke the camel’s back, giving rise to Kim Collins - the fiercely adamant and independent operator.
For years the debate will go on as arguments and counter-arguments are put forth to prove who was right and who was wrong – as if that really matters.
What we can say with some certainty is that had Collins travelled without an official delegation, as he has done hundreds of times over his near twenty year reign, we can be reasonably sure that he would have been on that Olympic field and once again putting a positive image of St. Kitts on the world stage.
