Caribbean Sports Round Up...

Published Sunday, October 14th, 2007

Port Au Prince, Haiti - Jamaica's chances of advancing to the football tournament at the Beijing Olympics took a nosedive on Thursday night when they were beaten 1-0 by minnows Bahamas in the Caribbean Football Union second-round qualifying match at the Stade Sylvio Cator in Haiti.  Lesly St Fleur's 84th-minute goal shocked the Jamaicans, who were expected to roll over the Bahamas and set up a winner-take-all finale against the hosts in Saturday's game at the same venue.  Jamaica must now beat Haiti by an improbable eight goals on Saturday if they are to take the sole qualifying spot and advance to the next round.  Haiti and the Bahamas are tied on three points at the top of the tables, but the Haitians can lose to Jamaica on Saturday and still advance after their 6-0 mauling of the Bahamas in the first game on Tuesday.

Jamaica's Olympic 100 meters bronze medalist Tayna Lawrence has lashed out at disgraced American sprinter Marion Jones, but believes there are much more drug cheats around in world athletics.  Lawrence, who finished third to Jones at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, said she believes that Jones was just one of several athletes who were using drugs.  The 32-year-old Lawrence, who ran the opening leg when Jamaica won 4x100 meters gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said while she was happy at Jones' confession, she still felt a sense of hurt.  She says that while she would accept the upgrading of her medal from Sydney, she noted the hype would be missing. For it to come so many years later, it really doesn't do any justice when she is no longer running.  In reality, she says she went on the podium for a bronze.  Despite all this, Lawrence said she believed Jones was a very nice person who got caught up with the wrong people.

West Indies Cricket Board president, Julian Hunte, has warned Caribbean regional players to seek legal advice before signing up for the controversial Indian Cricket League.  It has been rumored that five West Indies cricketers have been offered contracts to play in the ICL, a league which the Indian Cricket Board has refused to sanction.  The ICL, funded by Indian media giants, the Essel Group, is set to bowl off later this year and will feature several big names in the sport, including West Indies batting great, Brian Lara.  He is expected to be joined by Pakistani batsman, Inzamam-ul-Haq, and former Australian batsman, Damien Martyn.  While some national cricket boards have expressed their reluctance to sanction their players competing in the ICL, Hunte said the WICB were yet to develop a policy, but would do so shortly.  It is being reported that other Test match playing countries have banned their players who have publicly accepted contracts for the ICL.