Sibling success: Ashley Khalil and her brother Jason-Ray, who won the Women's and Men's Singles titles, respectively, at the 2022 Guyana National Championships held at the Georgetown Club.
Ashley Khalil has described 2022 as one of her best years ever after cruising to the Women’s Singles title at the Guyana National Squash Championship that concluded on Friday night (December 2) at the Georgetown Club.
Going in as the top women’s seed, Khalil, the 2022 Caribbean Women’s Singles champion, did not lose a game all tournament. Benefitting from a walkover in the opening round against Tian Edwards, Khalil steamrolled Larissa Wiltshire 11-4, 11-2, 11-6 to move onto the final where she overwhelmed number-two seed Taylor Fernandez 11-4, 11-8, 11-8 in just 20 minutes.
It was another jewel crowning her achievements in what has been a fantastic year for the 29-year-old athlete and businesswoman, who credits improved fitness to the run of success she has enjoyed this year.
“The key factors that determined my performance and eventually winning would firstly have to be the improvement in my fitness both on and off the court,” said Khalil, who won a bronze medal in the Women’s Team Event at the Pan Am Games in April and a silver medal in Mixed Doubles competition with her brother at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England this past summer.
“Secondly, the number of elite tournaments that I was also able to attend throughout the year and gaining experience and knowledge from each. Finally, the sponsorship and support from my family, my country and my well-wishers.”
These accomplishments, she said, has made the year one of her best ever.
“Having won the Caribbean title and now the national title have definitely been one of my personal bests in a year,” she said.
It was also a good tournament for her sibling, Jason-Ray Khalil, who overcame a stern test from Alex Arjoon 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8 to claim the Men’s Singles title.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Former Sportsmax presenter Alex Jordan, Carlos Brathwaite honoured with special sports award at Barbados Labour Party ceremony
Accomplished athlete and sports commentator Alex Jordan was recognized with a Special Sports Award on Friday night at the 85th Annual Conference of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Awards Ceremony. The prestigious event, held at the Christchurch Foundation School, also saw former West Indies cricketer Carlos Brathwaite receiving an award, with Barbados Prime Minister The Honourable Mia Mottley and President of Guyana Dr. Irfaan Ali in attendance.
Jordan, a versatile broadcaster and beloved sports commentator across the Caribbean, was celebrated for her outstanding contributions to sports journalism. The citation highlighted her dynamic career, which spans over 20 years, and her representation of Barbados in squash, golf, and swimming. Fluent in four languages, Jordan has also played diplomatic roles for the Government of Barbados on several United Nations bodies, further demonstrating her multi-faceted talents.
“Kaitlin Alexandra Jordan is a dynamic athlete, broadcaster, and sports commentator, who has proudly represented Barbados in squash, golf, and swimming. Fluent in four languages, Alex has played key diplomatic roles for the Government of Barbados on several UN bodies. With over 20 years of experience in radio and TV broadcasting, she has focused her career on sports journalism,” the citation read.
Jordan’s career has seen her grow into a prominent figure in Caribbean sports broadcasting. After returning to Barbados to help launch the Alex Jordan Morning Show on SLAM 101, she transitioned into sports broadcasting, eventually commentating for the Caribbean Premier League. She has since earned a global audience, covering major sporting events like the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning fans across the Caribbean for her knowledge and passion.
Jordan and fellow awardee Carlos Brathwaite at the rostrum on Friday where they received their awards.
In an emotional acceptance speech, Jordan expressed her deep pride in being a Barbadian and her admiration for the leadership of Prime Minister Mottley and President Ali.
“May I just say how proud I am to be a Barbadian. We are from such a unique place, and what has distinguished us in the region and the world is our government. I am so grateful for the productivity, the professionalism, the decision-making, and action of this government,” said Jordan.
She also spoke about the importance of regional unity and the strong relationship between Barbados and Guyana: “I am so happy to see these two leaders from Barbados and Guyana, their relationship, their regional and global vision reinforcing how important it is to our identity to understand that we are part of a collective. They are so smart and vibrant and making waves around the world; wherever I go in the world, people tell me how much they admire Mia Mottley, and it makes me deeply proud.”
Jordan’s recognition underscores her significant contributions to sports and Caribbean culture, continuing to inspire through her engaging presence in sports media.
Meanwhile, Brathwaite, best known for his match-winning four consecutive sixes in the 2016 T20 World Cup final, was also honoured during the ceremony, adding another highlight to a night dedicated to celebrating the BLP's finest talents.
Busy time for Jamaica Squash with back to back competitions
The Jamaica Squash Association has been seeing increased action on the courts at the Jamaica Liguanea Club in New Kingston and the Senior Common Room (SNR) at the University of the West Indies campus in Papine with varying activities to attract new players and to provide continuing competition for the members.
First there was the Women’s Squash Week which ran from September 16 to 22 which focused on attracting female players to the sport. There were several females who heeded the call to be introduced to the sport under the guidance of Karen Anderson who is a former national player, long time national coach and current president of Jamaica Squash.
The training sessions were conducted at the SNR while the final session which included actual games which were scored was held last Saturday at the Liguanea Club. That session was dubbed Ladies Lyme and Round Robin Games. Anderson was pleased with the response to the week.
The second set of activities took place this week at the Liguanea Club with ongoing competitions and will culminate on Friday night with the finals of the Liguanea Club Open Handicap competition. That will see three finals starting with Nabeel Jawad and Leigh Dwyer, then Jemel Sterling and Handel Emery and ending with Joey Levy and Mario O’Connor.
The open handicap tournament is opened to all the members of the club and has seen a high level of participation among the membership of Jamaica Squash.
Julian Morrison's attorneys seek recusal of anti-doping panel chair over conflict of interest concerns
Attorneys representing Jamaican squash player Julian Morrison have filed a formal application requesting that Catherine Minto, Chair of the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, recuse herself from the ongoing hearing concerning an alleged anti-doping violation. The application, filed by Dr. Emir Crowne, Mr. Matthew Gayle, and Mr. Sayeed Bernard, on Monday, September 2, argues that Minto’s prior extensive working relationship with Kings Counsel Ian Wilkinson, who is representing the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) in the matter, presents a potential conflict of interest.
The legal team’s concerns are rooted in the principle of impartiality, as outlined in WADA’s International Standard for Results Management. This standard mandates that members of hearing panels must be free from any actual or potential conflicts of interest to ensure a fair and unbiased adjudication process.
According to the standard, “Upon appointment to a hearing panel, each hearing panel member shall sign a declaration that there are no facts or circumstances known to him/her which might call into question their impartiality in the eyes of any of the parties, other than any circumstances disclosed in the declaration…”
Morrison's legal team discovered on August 30, 2024, that Minto had previously served as co-counsel with Wilkinson in several cases, some of which spanned nearly a decade and culminated in an appeal to the Privy Council. Despite the significant duration and nature of this professional relationship, it was not disclosed to Morrison or his representatives at the outset of the hearing. They argue that this omission compromises the perceived impartiality of the Chair and raises questions about the fairness of the proceedings.
Matthew Gayle, one of Morrison’s attorneys, emphasized the seriousness of the situation: “Given that the panel has considered the issue of recusal, substantively for a significant period of time, this ought to have been a matter that was disclosed to the parties so the athlete has no way of knowing but for information in the public domain. This should have been disclosed by the Chair herself and to the parties and give the athlete an opportunity to consider whether or not he wants to raise an objection, and in the circumstances where no disclosure has taken place it does raise a very serious question as to why,” he told Sportsmax.TV.
The application highlights multiple cases, including ones from 2014, 2016, and 2020, where Minto and Wilkinson worked closely together. Morrison’s legal team contends that this omission violates the ethical guidelines that require transparency and impartiality from those presiding over such hearings.
In April, Morrison was provisionally suspended by JADCO after testing positive for trace amounts of the banned anabolic agent Boldenone. Since then, he has been eagerly awaiting the chance to clear his name. His legal team has argued that Morrison unknowingly ingested the substance and is determined to prove his innocence.
The attorneys have requested that Minto either voluntarily recuse herself and be replaced by an alternate who has no recent or extensive professional ties to JADCO's counsel, or that the application for her recusal be decided by other members of the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel who are free from similar conflicts.
Morrison’s legal team stressed that this application was not made lightly, acknowledging that it could delay the proceedings. However, they assert that the integrity of the hearing and the athlete’s right to a fair trial must take precedence.
The outcome of this recusal application could significantly impact the course of the hearing, as both parties await a decision that will determine the next steps in this high-stakes case. Morrison remains resolute in his fight to prove his innocence and is hopeful that he will be granted a fair opportunity to do so.
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