Angry at athletes' neglect, Fraser-Pryce threatens to quit

November 17, 2013

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Monaco, Nov 17: Jamaica's World Champion female sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is threatening to boycott competing in her effort to get more attention for the athletes on the island.

Fraser-Pryce believes that Jamaican athletes should continue to pressure the authorities to draw attention to their concerns.

"If there are certain things that are not up to standard, then that's the thing we have to do because if we don't run, they will start to do things," said Fraser-Pryce ahead of the IAAF Gala and Awards Ceremony Saturady.

"If it comes down to actually not competing to make sure that things are up to scratch when it comes to facilities and different things in Jamaica, then I would (not run)."

The Olympic and World champion also expressed her dissatisfaction with the lack of support from local officials especially during recent criticism of Jamaica's anti-doping fiasco.

"You read articles and listen to persons make accusations and say all kinds of stuff about Jamaica and its athletes and there is no one there to get up, take a microphone and say, 'What you are saying is a lie'," the Olympic and World champion added.

"You have the information and the stats, defend us - that's what you are there for. A lot of things that are said in the media are not true, but there is no one in our federation challenging it." she said.

"They are just sitting back enjoying the benefits and the fruits of our labour, but when it's time to actually do their jobs, they are not doing it," she said.

"I am hurt, to some extent, but what can I do? I am not in charge of that area but as athletes, we wonder why when the international media and others make judgement statements about Jamaica, why isn't our federation coming out and speaking up for us?" Fraser-Pryce asked.

Fraser-Pryce reiterated a plea to her colleagues in Jamaica to form an umbrella body to represent their interest and hopefully provide a unified voice to lobby for more support for athletes.

"We have issues with our young athletes who are getting involved with doping issues and nobody is there to speak on behalf of the athletes, nobody is there to give guidance and support, so I decided that this year that (athletes' union) is something that we will be embarking on."

"Somewhere where athletes can have a voice, can have refuge, where we can make a stand for a change."

"Our young professional athletes need to be educated because they feel that once they are not taking a needle and sticking it into themselves, that it's okay. They think it's just okay to ... take any multi-vitamin or supplement and it will be okay, and that's not the case because with multi-vitamins and supplements, it's a minefield!"

"There is no one in Jamaica looking to dope up intentionally to run fast. What's happening is athletes are not checking the supplements that they use - no one is intentionally cheating."

Fraser-Pryce and compatriot Usain Bolt won the World Athletes of the Year awards at the IAAF Gala Saturday.

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Agencies
August 1,2020

Colombo, Aug 1: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has expressed his interest in playing the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), scheduled to start from August 28.

Pathan is among 70 foreign players to have shown interest in playing the LPL, ESPNcricinfo reported.

It is believed that Pathan has taken permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take part in the competition. 

BCCI doesn't allow active players to participate in other T20 leagues but Pathan announced his retirement in January this year.

Former swashbuckling all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also played in a foreign league last year. He played for Maratha Arabians in the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Pathan will now be put in a player draft unless one of the five franchises choose him to be a marquee player. The details of the draft, and the franchise owners, are yet to be finalised and announced. 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is also waiting on some government clearances even as it decides on franchise owners. The five franchises will represent Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna.

On Monday, SLC Executive Committee granted approval for the tournament.

"The 23 match League will be played on the four international venues of R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Rangiri Dambulu International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium. Five teams named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna will participate in the League," SLC said in a statement on Monday.

Sri Lanka has controlled the spread of COVID-19 better than many other cricket-playing nations.

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News Network
June 10,2020

Jun 10: "It is never too late to fight for the right cause," said opening batsman Chris Gayle as he came out in support of former T20 World Cup-winning skipper Darren Sammy. The debate around racism in sport has kickstarted once again after former Windies T20 World Cup-winning skipper Darren Sammy alleged racism during his stint with SunRisers Hyderabad in the 2014 Indian Premier League. Taking note of Sammy's revelation, Gayle tweeted: "It's never too late to fight for the right cause or what you've experienced over the years! So much more to your story, @darensammy88. Like I said, it's in the game".

Earlier, Gayle had also revealed that he too has been a victim of racism, and added that racism is something that has been bothering cricket as well.

On Tuesday, Sammy had released a video specifying that the racial slurs against him were used within the SunRisers camp.

"I have played all over the world and I have been loved by many people, I have embraced all dressing rooms where I have played, so I was listening to Hasan Minhaj as to how some of the people in his culture describe black people," Sammy said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

"This does not apply to all people, so after I found out a meaning of a certain word, I had said I was angry on finding out the meaning and it was degrading, instantly I remembered when I played for SunRisers Hyderabad, I was being called exactly the same word which is degrading to us black people," he added.

Sammy said that at the time when he was being called with the word, he didn't know the meaning, and his team-mates used to laugh every time after calling him by that name.

"I will be messaging those people, you guys know who you are, I must admit at that time when I was being called as that word I thought the word meant strong stallion or whatever it is, I did not know what it meant, every time I was called with that word, there was laughter at that moment, I thought teammates are laughing so it must be something funny," Sammy said.

The former Windies skipper has been a vocal supporter of the protests that are currently going on in the United States over the death of an African-American man named George Floyd.

Sammy had also made an appeal to the ICC and other cricket boards to support the fight against social injustice and racism.

Ever since the demise of Floyd, protests erupted from the demonstrations in cities from San Francisco to Boston.

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News Network
July 20,2020

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia 2020 has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

At today’s meeting of the IBC Board (the commercial subsidiary of the ICC), windows for the next three ICC men’s events were also agreed to bring clarity to the calendar and give the sport the best possible opportunity over the next three years to recover from the disruption caused by COVID-19.

The windows for the Men’s events are:

1. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be held October – November 2021 with the final on 14 November 2021

2. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be held October – November 2022 with the final on 13 November 2022

3. ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held in India October – November 2023 with the final on 26 November 2023

The IBC Board agreed to continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation and assess all the information available in order to make a considered decision on future hosts to ensure the sport is able to stage safe and successful global events in 2021 and 2022.

The IBC Board will also continue to evaluate the situation in relation to being able to stage the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand in February next year. In the meantime, planning for this event continues as scheduled.

The Board will also continue to evaluate the situation in relation to being able to stage the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021.

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: “We have undertaken a comprehensive and complex contingency planning exercise and through this process, our number one priority has been to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the sport.

“The decision to postpone the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world.

“Our Members now have the clarity they need around event windows to enable them to reschedule lost bilateral and domestic cricket. Moving the Men’s Cricket World Cup to a later window is a critical element of this and gives us a better chance of maintaining the integrity of the qualification process. This additional time will be used to reschedule games that might be lost because of the pandemic ensuring qualification can be decided on the field of play.

“Throughout this process we have worked closely with our key stakeholders including governments, Members, broadcasters, partners and medical experts to enable us to reach a collective decision for the good of the game and our fans. I would like to thank everyone involved for their commitment to a safe return to cricket.”

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