Violence to stop athletes attending Casey games

By Rebecca Fraser
EAST Timorese athletes scheduled to travel to Casey next month for an international sports gathering are now unlikely to come following the outbreak of violence in their home country.
The move has disappointed organisers of the Edwin Flack Games, who have raised more than $28,000 to bring the 31 East Timorese officials and athletes to the event, which is set to showcase sports including volleyball, basketball, soccer, golf, softball and tennis.
The funds were donated by many local businesses, service clubs and individuals, and the organising committee held a meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the situation and how to potentially cater for a lower number of athletes.
If the athletes from East Timor do not come, athletes from Casey and one of the municipality’s sister cities, Springfield, Ohio, will be the sole competitors.
Casey youth and community development manager Janette Green said despite the disappointing news the games were set to be a great cross-cultural event and everyone involved in the sports meet was extremely excited.
East Timor was set to field a women’s volleyball and a men’s soccer team with all players aged between 16 and 18.
Ms Green said the committee and the council could understand why the athletes might choose not to come.
“We have been advised that it is unlikely that the East Timorese athletes will come given the unrest in their country and the fact it has not been practical for them to come down from Ermera to Dili to organise their travel documents,” she said.
“Young people are not wanting to leave their parents and they too are not wanting their children to leave home.
“We can appreciate this and we understand why they might decide not to come given the political climate.
“It was always an added and a great bonus if they (East Timor) got involved, but in that regard I do not anticipate that it will have an adverse effort on the running of the games.”
Ms Green said once it was clarified whether the players were coming or not the committee would get in touch with sponsors to determine their wishes or to possibly come up with other options for the funds.
Jan Trezise, president of Friends of Ermera, a local group supporting the communities of East Timor, said she had been in close contact with people in East Timor in recent weeks and believed the media had overexaggerated some of the incidents.
She said if the athletes did not come she would be hopeful an alternative could be reached so the players could come to Casey at another stage.
Ms Trezise said the people of East Timor had lived through much trauma and unrest and she believed it was both their past experiences and the present situation that would deter them from leaving their families.
“At the moment they have a feeling of wanting to be safe and that is understandable,” she said.