TWO of the four athletes selected for the Southern Invitational Games in Trinidad and Tobago at the weekend have left for the games.
Rawle Greene and Trevor Scotland will be joined by Cleveland Forde who leaves today.
It is unclear when and if the fourth athlete Andre Blackman will make the games.
Greene will contest the 100 and 200m sprint races, while Scotland on his first international trip will match strides in the 800m half-mile event and Forde the 5 000m event.
Speaking to Chronicle Sport, manager of the team Keith French said that Blackman’s setback is sponsorship, while Forde departed separate from the team because he is engaged in CXC examinations.
French expressed optimism that the team will return with a number of medals. Blackman is the defending 100 and 200m champion and it would be a disappointment if he is unable to make the trip, while Forde also would be defending his title.
A vice-president of the Amateur Athletics Association (AAA), French said that the athletes will be picked up at the airport by the organisers and transported to the games village.
Greene, who has established himself as the leading 100m sprint champion after claiming the 100m races at both the Keep Fit Meet at the Wales Community Centre ground and the trials held on March 17 at the Police Sports Club ground, should hold his own when he takes to the track.
There was concern about his qualification after everyone said that he had jumped the gun at the trials when he defeated Brennon Thompson and Blackman in that order to win in a time of 10.5.
After protests by all, the AAA took the decision to send both Greene and Blackman to the games.
Scotland was selected for the games after he pulled off an upset on national 800m champion Tai Payne to win by three clear seconds. He clocked 1:57.8 minutes.
Forde returned 17:40.6 in the 5000m event.
The games are scheduled for March 27 and 28 in Southern Trinidad.