NAAA, nat'l discus thrower to appear in court

THE TT National Association of Athletics (NAAATT) has filed its defence against national discus thrower Quincy Wilson, 28, who is suing the association after being injured at one of its competitions. They will appear in court on February 3.

Wilson competed in the National Open Senior Championships’ men’s discus throw at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain on July 28, 2019.

He won, but slipped and fell on his fifth throw.

In a 110-page court document filed last November, he claimed the association used the “wrong substance” on the discus circle. He said it failed to ensure it was of a “requisite standard of safety.”

Also in November, the association proposed mediation instead of litigation as: “The disputing parties have had a longstanding, healthy relationship as athlete and national governing body. Whether intended or not, litigation tends to sever such relationships due to its adversarial nature.”

Wilson will be represented by five attorneys ­– Jason Jones and Kerrina Samdeo (instructing attorneys), and Crystal Paul, Matthew Gayle and Dr Emir Crowne (advocate attorneys).

On Friday morning, Jones said Wilson remains "distraught" and "deeply regrets his inability to train," especially nearing the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The games begin on July 27 and end on August 9.

Asked about mediation, Jones said, "Mediation as an alternative dispute resolution method nearly always remains a possibility, but no agreements to that effect have been made." He added, "But it's possible at any point between the two parties."

The NAAATT will be represented by J Tyrone Marcus – who is also representing a national cyclist who was recently stripped of his 2019 Pan Am Games medal.

Newsday tried to contact Marcus for a comment but all calls went unanswered.