THE Guernsey team has been met with chaos in Rhodes, including a swimming pool which is shorter at one end than the other. The pool is not a perfect rectangle and a slope makes lane one about two inches shorter than lane eight.
The pool is still to be measured by the Games’ technical committee, but Guernsey swimming manager Alison Frankland can scarcely believe it.
‘This pool is nice, but it’s a shame that it’s not quite the right size which means it’s going to affect the records,’ said Frankland.
After setting out from Guernsey at noon on Wednesday, a number of the Sarnians had still not booked into their hotel rooms on the Mediterranean island 24 hours later.
But this was the least of the problems.
Some of the Guernsey teams cannot train and prepare before the Games start in earnest on Sunday.
Athletics, swimming and tennis have all had their preparations disrupted due to facilities not being completed in time.
The Guernsey tennis manager, Rick Denton, had planned for his men’s side, who are tipped for gold, to play at the Rhodes Tennis Club.
But the facilities were not ready among other things.
The Sarnians also had to contend with the stifling heat as the temperature gauge went into the 40Cs.
‘It seems a bit frustrating that people have made a big commitment to get here and the facilities are not quite there,’ said Denton.
‘There’s a disappointment generally that we’ve come down early to practise and acclimatise and in my own sport, tennis, nothing will be ready until literally the afternoon or evening before the event commences.
‘The boys just want to play and get used to the heat.’
Denton says the hard court surfaces at the Rhodes Tennis Centre were fine, but there were no surrounding nets to stop balls flying off.
Also there was no facility to buy drinks or water and the road leading into the club had not been finished.
But, most amazingly, the floodlights had yet to be fixed into concrete.
‘It’s something to see,’ said Denton.
‘Why are so many of the facilities in such later stages of preparation when they’ve been aware of these Games for six years?’
Someone else to ask the same question was athletics team manager Frank Magee. He had wanted his team to use the Kalipatira Sports Complex where the main competition is going to be held.
It has been known for some time that the grandstand was not going to be completed in time, but at two o’clock yesterday afternoon, workmen were still erecting the hammer cage, among other things.
‘We’re not allowed to use the track tomorrow because obviously they aren’t ready for us,’ he said yesterday.
‘It would be nice to get down the track and that’s why we came down early. Six years and this is what you’ve got.’
Magee has been informed that his team can use a different 300m training track today.
‘We don’t know if there are any jumping or throwing facilities,’ said Magee.
Article posted on 29th June, 2007 - 12.00am
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