dis kinda unrelated... but wasn't sure where else to ask it.
Any word on if this is true how Crawfie get treated?
HASELY CRAWFORD...badly treated
Trinidad and Tobago’s only Olympic gold medalist, Hasely Crawford, was not treated as royalty since his arrival in China for the premier athletic event in the world.
So shabby was the treatment, it took the generosity of friends and associates to come to Crawford’s rescue and ensure he was housed in a comfortable hotel.
Despite the gloom of his trip, Crawford was able to witness on Saturday (his 58th birthday), a record-breaking run from T&T’s Richard Thompson to snatch the silver medal in the 100-metre dash at the Bird Nest Stadium.
The race was won by Jamaican Usain Bolt in a new world record time of 9.69 seconds. This was the closest T&T came to getting its second gold medal. The previous best was also a silver medal from Ato Boldon at the Sydney Olympics in the 100 metres in 2000.
In July, the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) announced Crawford’s selection in the T&T squad as Olympic Ambassador.
Crawford, who works at the National Gas Company (NGC), has gone with the T&T teams in the past, as Chef de Mission and Ambassador.
But as time drew closer, the TTOC realised that it had already used up its quota of accreditation, so Crawford’s name had to be deleted. But he was still accredited, but as a member of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team.
Crawford, who won the gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, arrived in Beijing, only to find out that there was no one to meet him. He went to a hotel booked for him, but no one saw him. It was only on Saturday that fans realised that the Olympic champion was not seen.
When officials checked on him, Crawford was found staying in a small room, with very small bathroom and other facilities and he was by himself, and under the weather.
Crawford was eventually moved to a more spacious hotel, closer to the Bird Nest Stadium, by friends and associates who are here in China for the Olympic Games.
They could not believe the treatment meted out to the only T&T gold medalist. They paid the money for Crawford to be relocated and they have been promised a reimbursement.
The T&T Guardian learnt that the TTOC did not have the funding to change hotels as the premier hotels in Beijing were lapped up long ago.