Dear Editor,
In a letter dated June 27, 2016, Televison Jamaica (TVJ) suspended Kingston College (KC) for two years from the School’s Challenge Quiz competition. The main reasons given were that actions of the KC quiz coach after last year’s quarter-final loss to Campion “caused prejudice, damage and tainted the reputation of the quiz and TVJ and brought both entities into disrepute”.
My understanding is that the coach’s actions that are referenced came about after he had resigned as coach of the team, which was a direct reaction to what was considered as TVJ’s judges making an inexplicable mistake which resulted in the KC ‘loss’. Points were deducted from the KC team when the judges — and only they — heard the KC team say ‘Absalam’, instead of the correct ‘Absalom’. The points deduction resulted in the scores being tied, and Campion then prevailed in the sudden death.
The judges’ actions are even more egregious when viewed against the backdrop that the match in question was not even live TV. The judges therefore had the luxury to look at the situation and correct themselves before exposing the public to this fiasco. So, the obvious question of bias raises its ugly head.
Every school that enters a competition prefers to win that competition fair and square. TVJ managed to take away that satisfaction.
I cannot think of anything that would cause more “prejudice, damage, and a tainted reputation” to both the quiz and TVJ than if this travesty of justice of a suspension is allowed to stand.
In any case, as a KC man, I know that this too will pass.
Winston Henry
whenry@corporatecomputersol.com
In a letter dated June 27, 2016, Televison Jamaica (TVJ) suspended Kingston College (KC) for two years from the School’s Challenge Quiz competition. The main reasons given were that actions of the KC quiz coach after last year’s quarter-final loss to Campion “caused prejudice, damage and tainted the reputation of the quiz and TVJ and brought both entities into disrepute”.
My understanding is that the coach’s actions that are referenced came about after he had resigned as coach of the team, which was a direct reaction to what was considered as TVJ’s judges making an inexplicable mistake which resulted in the KC ‘loss’. Points were deducted from the KC team when the judges — and only they — heard the KC team say ‘Absalam’, instead of the correct ‘Absalom’. The points deduction resulted in the scores being tied, and Campion then prevailed in the sudden death.
The judges’ actions are even more egregious when viewed against the backdrop that the match in question was not even live TV. The judges therefore had the luxury to look at the situation and correct themselves before exposing the public to this fiasco. So, the obvious question of bias raises its ugly head.
Every school that enters a competition prefers to win that competition fair and square. TVJ managed to take away that satisfaction.
I cannot think of anything that would cause more “prejudice, damage, and a tainted reputation” to both the quiz and TVJ than if this travesty of justice of a suspension is allowed to stand.
In any case, as a KC man, I know that this too will pass.
Winston Henry
whenry@corporatecomputersol.com