Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
Joseph Dibbs ousted as president. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
JOSEPH DIBBS' brief and controversial reign as president of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) came to an abrupt end at a special general meeting of affiliates held Wednesday night at the Sports Development Foundation Offices.
Dibbs was sent packing following a 28-15 vote to remove him after four months in office.
His troubles started when former national champion Ludlow Bailey accused him of influencing his omission from the national team selected for the Caribbean table Tennis Championships held in Guatemala earlier this year.
REFUSED TO APOLOGISE
A month later, Dibbs struck a young player with a ball on the opening day of the National Championships at University of Technology on September 9.
The child's demanded an apology, but the former president refused to comply.
Whereas the incident may have triggered the move for the no-confidence, word out of the association indicated an accumulation of disciplinary matters against Dibbs.
Several clubs involved in the Jamaica Table Tennis league refused to play under the presidency of Dibbs, prompting the postponement of the event and the need to hold the general meeting.
Justin Allen, general secretary of the JTTA, said the members decided that it was time for a change.
COUNCIL TO MANAGE
"The administration has been observing certain happenings since he was elected and a number of teams had decided they were not going to play until there was a change of presidency," he remarked. "There has been a lot of fuss, for one thing or the other, since he was elected. There has also been a lot of quarrelling in the association and something had to be done. I think they were willing to try something else."
Dibbs refused to comment when contacted.
The association is expected to hold another general meeting in three weeks time to elect a new managing council. Meanwhile, it has been decided that the council will continue to manage the affairs of the association.
