Anthony Foster, Gleaner Writer

BEIJING:

LESS THAN two weeks after Stephen Francis, coach of several top Jamaican athletes, returned his Olympic accreditation, he is asking for it back.

A well-placed source close to the Jamaican camp told The Gleaner that Francis, who is the coach of Asafa Powell, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Sherone Simpson and Michael Frater, among others, had sent one of his athletes to team manager Ludlow Watts for the accreditation.

However, according to the source, the athlete, who was not named, was turned back without the accreditation.

"The athlete was told to tell coach Francis to come for the accreditation, which the manager has in his possession, for himself," the source said.

Refusal

Last week, news broke that Francis, who hit out against the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA)/Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association's (JAAA) training camp, which ended a few days ago in Tianjin, refused to accept his media accreditation from Jamaican ambassador to China, Wayne McCook.

Francis claimed he was kept away from his athletes; giving the impression he was not accredited by the JOA/JAAA.

In a release, the JAAA explained: "The JOA and JAAA had secured the appropriate accreditation as a personal coach for Mr Stephen Francis which he refused to accept from our Ambassador to China, Mr. Wayne McCook when members of his group and other athletes were met at the Beijing airport on August 1, 2008". Some people questioned why Ambassador McCook was the one to give Francis his accreditation but, according to information reaching The Gleaner, the ambassador used his diplomatic status to get into the airport as Francis, without the accreditation or a Chinese visa, would not have been able to leave the airport.