Volleyballer pursues Olympic dream despite challenges

JAMAICA'S beach volleyball standard-bearer and Olympic hopeful Mark Lewis remains upbeat about his dreams for London 2012, despite misrepresentations about his availability and partner Donovan Richards to participate in last week's CAZOVA leg of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Cup in Trinidad last week.

Lewis and Richards are seeking to become the first English-speaking Caribbean ball sport team to qualify for the Olympics.

The 30-year-old, 6ft-6in Lewis said, according to official information, he could not go because of work commitment and Richards lacked a valid Jamaican passport.

Initially Lewis said he tried to ignore the rumours, "having full knowledge that my work is not a hindrance and that Donovan did in fact have a valid passport".

"However, as I went about my daily business, family members, friends and fans openly expressed their disbelief and disappointment to know that I could not have gotten some time off to keep my dream and the dream of many Jamaicans of being the first English-speaking Caribbean balls sport team to qualify for the Olympics," said Lewis.

Lewis, who hails from Westmoreland and has a strong following in western Jamaica, told the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) that his employers would deduct a week's salary to allow him go to Trinidad.

Lewis asked if he could be reimbursed with US$200 "which I guess qualifying for the Olympics was not worth," he added tongue-in-cheek.

"I understand the association is broke, but I thought that as an administration the executive body could have come up with some ideas for raising that small sum for a worthy cause," he explained.

"I have spent so much time, energy, effort and money to actualised Jamaica's beach volleyball berth in the 2012 Olympics that I have for most of 2010 been bankrupt.

"I gave up many job opportunities both locally and internationally to keep the dream alive. Even after the big ceremony at the Pegasus this year that was to see some financial assistance... nothing has been done to give us jobs that allowed us to train and compete, or a stipend to cover some basic cost.

"Even the president himself (Major Warrenton Dixon) was and is still aware of the financial situation," stressed Lewis, a teacher of the social sciences who has been toying with idea of playing professionally abroad.

Yet Lewis said he is still optimistic despite the ups and downs.

"I made a promise to myself and the positive people that have supported me that Donovan and I have been and are still actively training every weekend at Cornwall Beach, which have opened up their property to both of us to train and have future fund-raisers to help us live the dream," he said.

Major Dixon, when contacted by the Sunday Observer, said he did not wish to comment on the matter at this time.

Jamaica, along with Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, and Barbados qualified for next June's zonal phase tournament of the Olympic Games where they will meet St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, and Dominica from the Eastern Caribbean Zone in the men's competition.

For the women's, Jamaica and Curacao will join Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados for the second of three legs in order to qualify for the London Olympics.

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