Powwow over JTTA’s presidential nominations

NOMINATIONS FOR the various positions in the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) were released late Monday afternoon, and already, the presidential race has morphed into a contentious issue, with stakeholders blasting the recommendation of former national player Michael Hyatt.

According to sources within the sport’s fraternity, there is also discontent with the nomination of treasurer Collette Palmer for president, especially with the association failing to provide financial reports for the past three years, which directly falls under her direction.

Hyatt and Palmer are joined on the presidential nomination list by Ingrid Graham, general secretary of Supersonic Table Tennis Club, and president of Portland Table Tennis Association, Samuel Lamont, with the voting annual general meeting set for March 23.

It is understood that the disquiet escalated to boiling point on Monday night, with members of the table tennis community openly voicing disapproval of Hyatt’s nomination in a WhatsApp group manned by the JTTA.

Hyatt is alleged to have had legal issues in the United States, which would bring into question his fitness.

According to the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) suitability guidelines and rules, this should bar Hyatt from being nominated to become president.

Subsection One of the guidelines states: “The ITTF expects candidates for national association positions to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and governance. This includes having a clean record free from unethical or illegal behaviour, and a commitment to transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct.”

Lamont, when contacted yesterday, was coy about the situation.

“It’s a democracy and every candidate has a chance to offer themselves, but based on the circumstances, some persons might be questioned, because there are regulations, which govern candidacy for a post like this,” Lamont said.

President of the Kingston and St Andrew Table Tennis Association (KSATTA), Stephen Grant, yesterday expressed dismay at Hyatt’s nomination. He stated that KSATTA would express their position on the situation in a letter to the JTTA.

Meanwhile, it is understood that Palmer’s nomination is simmering and expected to erupt afterwards, as according to Gleaner Sports sources, while her selection is democratic, it is unethical.

The sources stated that under Palmer’s tenure as treasurer, the records of the JTTA have been in shambles. One source argued that because of Palmer’s inadequacies, the elections of officers, due from February last year, had to be postponed because of the lack of audited financial reports during the current executive’s tenure.

“To run, they should make sure that what they were doing, while being a servant in a past executive, was good and proper, which is not the case with members of this executive. They overstayed their time in office by more than a year and the records that should have been there, are not. That’s a big concern, unethical and very sad,” one source said.