By Morissa Lindsay
There is no truth to the rumours circulating that money is unavailable to pay the winners and participants in the recently concluded Barbados Road Tennis Cup tournament, says Chief Executive Officer of the Professional Road Tennis Association, Dale Clarke.
In a close to two-minute long video, Clarke dismissed the gossip as nonsense and said the funds are available but there were some clauses in the contract with the Barbados Tourism Management Inc., which he assured has since been rectified.
“I thought it necessary to do this video to address the situation that is presently going on where rumour has surfaced … saying that there aren’t funds so we can’t pay the prize money for the Barbados Road Tennis Cup.
“I want to say first of all, that is utter nonsense, the funds are there and the delay, which I want to personally apologise for, was due to the fact that there were some clauses in the contract that had to be rectified before we could have signed it. The contract however has been signed and we are just waiting for it to be processed, so that we can receive the funds,” Clarke said.
Sheldene Waldron won the female category of the Barbados Road Tennis Cup.
The Barbados Road Tennis Cup was contested last December at the National Netball Stadium with the winners Mark ‘Venom’ Griffith and Sheldene Waldron in the male and female categories, expecting to receive BDS$10,000 each for their top performances.
While Clarke acknowledged that the timing of the tournament was not ideal, he said there was nothing the organisers could have done to change it. In fact, he stated that was the only suitable time to accommodate the Tennis Channel crew who visited Barbados last December to film a documentary on the indigenous sport which will be shown to millions around the world at the 2023 Australia Open.
In addition, Clarke explained that besides the clauses in the contract, they are yet to receive the money for the tournament because of the Christmas holiday which also slowed the process down.
Dale Clarke
“I know the timeframe has been ridiculous, but we did choose a bad time for the tournament but that was the only time that we could have accommodated the Tennis Channel because around that time there were a lot of holidays which would have slowed the process for us to get the funds,” Clarke said.
“So, I just want to put those rumours to sleep that there aren’t any funds and I want to thank each of you all for accepting the invitation and participating in the tournament. We look forward to you working with us this year in our upcoming projects, we have a lot of exciting projects and it is going to be a wonderful tennis season.
“So, thanks for playing your part in helping us to get the indigenous sport, the global awareness that has been lacking for years and hopefully this awareness can create opportunities for you all this year and many years beyond. Thanks again and please accept my apologies as head of the Professional Road Tennis Association,” Clarke added.
morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb
