CGF losing its marbles over gender parity

Meanwhile, Guernsey Commonwealth Games chef de mission Garry Collins has described the lack of planning as ‘a complete mess’.

But that’s only half of the story.

The Commonwealth Games Federation are apparently cooking up the idea of nations sending equal numbers of men and women to the Midlands in four years’ time.

‘The CGF are talking about introducing gender quotas to even the numbers, which would be a blow, in my view, as we might have to select lesser achieved athletes over more achieved to get gender balance,’ said a frustrated Collins this week.

Indeed, it sounds a barmy idea to force equal numbers and across the globe will certainly lead to more cases of athletes enjoying unwarranted elevation onto a highly prestigious international stage. On that question, it’s bad enough.

Gold Coast staged a Games which, for the first time, featured equal numbers of medals for men and women.

Sensible.

But to force nations to select equal numbers on gender seems plain stupid.

Guernsey, like other nations, are ready for the likelihood of a much smaller team, but the fact that team quotas may not necessarily be all about ability is a suggestion that invites widespread derision.

‘To be honest the CGF have been giving it all that about quotas, but at the Gold Coast they didn’t have a clue,’ said Collins – that’s why there are two meetings planned within Europe – September (Birmingham) and November (Cyprus) – to work out what to do.

‘We might [then] get a number again and we can use that as we wish or we might get told 13 men and 12 women. At the moment we just don’t know.

‘The CGF doesn’t know how to achieve high standards, equal men and women and [have all] the 71 nations there.

‘If they go high standards there will only be 40/50 nations. If they go 71 nations, some women’s events are in danger with the total cap of 4,400 athletes (plus 2,100 officials for 6,500 in total), so it’s a total mess.

‘We hoped to have clear guidelines from the CGF in Gold Coast, but with having to [hurriedly] find a host for 2022 they haven’t managed to work it out if it is possible.’

n IT REALLY is time for sports to start talking to each other about scheduling.

Today we have an appetising Upton football match starting at 1pm and the Siam at 2.45.

That might suit the core football and rugby supporters, but it does nothing for the many general sports fans who would welcome the chance to see both.

Surely it is possible to stagger these major events, even if we have to always bear in mind fixture pile-ups [football] and possible play-offs, as we have seen in rugby.

And if it really is impossible to come forward with separate dates, more favourable kick-off times would be something.

n THE brouhaha re Siam Cup eligibility has died down – for now.

Guernsey Rugby were bitterly disappointed with Jersey’s stance on the issue of professionals, but as it pans out it turns out to be barely an issue with the Reds choosing just two – which in the end is all they had.

No doubt it would have been more but for injuries and I’d love to be a fly on the wall when the eligibility matter comes up for discussion again.

Will Guernsey get really heavy and threaten to pull the plug on the fixture, or will they bow to the desires of the bigger club who seem to have an unhealthy appetite of always wishing to win, without giving due regard to fairness and the need to preserve an event which has become a long procession of Jersey wins?

But, to give the Caesareans their credit, to have 15 Jersey-born players in their match-day squad today is a fantastic effort and shows that they are still a couple of steps ahead of us in developmental terms.

Guernsey, though, are raising their own bar by the season and to have a dozen in the long squad of 23 names is a sure-fire sign of progression.

n CAN Rovers win this afternoon, ending a miserable run of Upton losses for Guernsey sides?

There’s a fair chance, but they cannot afford silly mistakes.

My optimism stems from the presence of Rovers’ new twin spearhead of Will Fazakerley and Carlos Canha, the latter surely the best footballer in the domestic league and the best newcomer since Trim Morgan.

St Paul’s have seen neither man, although I’d lay money that after the Ambassador Bowl result that Jersey U21s coach Steve Coutanche wasted no time in picking up the phone and telling Martin Cassidy all about the ‘big new No. 9 over there’.

Canha is a footballing artist. His two-footed touch, vision, ability to make space, passing and finishing is of a rare class for island football.

Take away all the eligibility issues and he’d be prompting in the No. 10 role in the big one at Springfield next Saturday.

Latest on that showdown is that Harry Tobin is still part of Chris Tardif’s squad despite his own eligibility question marks.

His availability would make selecting the final XI a lot simpler and with Tobin on board I’d expect it to be close to the following:

Chris Tardif; Tom Strawbridge, Alex Le Prevost, Jamie Dodd; Tom de la Mare, River Marsh or Thomas Dodds, Ben Coulter (capt), Harry Tobin; Craig Young; Dom Heaume, Dave Rihoy.

Subs: Jason Martin, Matt Loaring, Will Fazakerley, Charlton Gauvain, Jacob Fallaize.