Boxer absconds in U.S. -- during Olympics Box-Off
By Donald Duff
Amateur boxer Dorwin Norville absconded in the United States after competing in the Sydney 2000 pre-Olympic Games Box-Off in Tampa, Florida, from March 27- April 1, Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) officials told the media yesterday. According to manager Rudolph Torrington the 22-year-old Norville walked out on the team on the last day of the championships leaving his passport behind. "I still have his passport, I always had it," manager Torrington told Stabroek Sport yesterday. Torrington, who has managed several boxing teams in the past said he always keeps the athletes passports and tickets. Torrington said even though some of the boxers required their passports to uplift cash from the money transfer services, he collected the passports as soon as the transactions were completed. Norville, who Torrington said hails from Albouystown, was the reigning national champion in the lightweight category, a title he has held for the past two years. Torrington said Norville, a gold medal winner at this year's Caribbean championships in Jamaica which preceded the pre-Olympic Box-off, was "a bright prospect." According to the manager Norville was last seen on Saturday going shopping with a Trinidadian boxer but only the Trinidadian returned. Torrington said they hoped that the boxer would show up but by Saturday night they were forced to conclude that the boxer had "jumped ship" and was in the United States illegally. The affair, he said, put a damper on the spirits of the remaining team members, some of whom were annoyed. President of GABA, K. Juman-Yassin at the press conference yesterday described Norville's actions as a "great embarrassment to me to the GABA and all sporting organisations in Guyana." "What Norville did was shameful and those who encouraged him in and out of Guyana have cut the throats of those attempting to go to the US," Yassin added. Yassin said in the application to the United States embassy for visas to attend the championships, the GABA encountered difficulties with Mark Dummett and two others who were refused visas before. However, he said those boxers over whom there were some doubts about the possibility of them returning have all done so. Yassin said the GOA had briefed the boxers including Norville about what their participation meant to the nation and what was expected of them but despite the GOA's efforts Norville chose to go his own way. Norville was one of three boxers who fought on the opening night, losing to Venezuela's Patrick Lopez in the lightweight division. Torrington said the GABA will meet on Friday to discuss the issue but he could not say whether the GABA would ban Norville. However, he said he would strongly recommend some form of disciplinary action be taken against the errant boxer.
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