media_artricles :: 2014

Silver snatched - from Jehue Gordon’s coach

Communication was made with the Office of the President about arrangements for Dr Ian Hypolite to receive the Chaconia medal silver. The only problem is that the Ministry of Sport has since informed the intended recipient that the national award has been rescinded.

“It is embarrassing,” Dr Ian Hypolite, coach of 400 metres hurdles world champion Jehue Gordon told the Sunday Express yesterday.

Today’s, Independence Day celebrations will see three recipients receiving national medals for their contribution to sport. Female cricketer Anisa Mohammed receives the Hummingbird Medal bronze; athletics administrator Clyde Forde gets the Medal of Merit silver and retired policeman Earl Skeete, the Public Service Medal of Merit bronze. Promised the Chaconia silver medal by former sport minister Anil Roberts a year ago, Dr Hypolite, however is not among today’s awardees.

After winning 400m World Championship gold last year, then Sport Minister Roberts announced that Gordon would receive Chaconia Medal, a house, and $.8m. Roberts also announced rewards for Dr Hypolite

“His local coach, Dr Ian Hypolite, has been recommended in next year’s award ceremony for the Chaconia Silver Medal and shall receive $200,000 this year for his contribution to coaching Jehue,” Roberts was reported as saying.

Yesterday, however, Dr Hypolite confirmed that this month, he received a letter signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, informing him that he would no longer receive the national award.

“In August 2014, I received a letter signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, in an envelope labelled Private and Confidential dated July 30, 2014, advising that the award to me of the Chaconia Medal silver by a decision of Cabinet in “subparagraph “a”, “iii” of minute # 2453 of August 29, 2013” had been rescinded. No reason was given for the rescission.

“The obvious question that my family, as well as my friends and I have had to consider is what did I do in the interim to become undeserving?,” he said by letter yesterday. “I have had to deal with the public announcement of an award and a “private and confidential” rescission of the said award. Therein, lies my embarrassment.”

Hypolite revealed that he did receive the cash award, and had communication from the Office of the President about the ceremony to receive the Chaconia Medal silver, until the latest turn of events.

Further, Hypolite stated he never solicited the award in the first place, and even now is not doing so.

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