BY his own admission, Basketball ACT CEO Tony Jackson is an optimist and remains upbeat about the possibility of Lauren Jackson returning to play for the Canberra Capitals next season.

At the moment there is a degree of uncertainty; she missed the last WNBL season through injury and is contracted to play two of the next three seasons with Canberra. But next season wasn’t in the original contract and was intended to be one that she would miss. Tony is hoping that she not only plays next season, but might also consider playing all of the next three seasons.

Tony was on the phone when Lauren was reported as saying she wouldn’t be playing for the next 12 months. In clarifying her remarks, she told him that she had no commitments for the next 12 months while she recovers from hamstring surgery.

As it turns out, she has knocked back an option to return to play with the Seattle Storm in the WNBA next season, which may open the door for her contract to be altered with the possibility of playing for the Capitals later this year, pending her recovery. A carrot to keep playing in Australia rather than chase contracts overseas could be a desire to lead the Opals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Lauren hasn’t made any commitment long term, but the quest to win an Olympic gold medal remains a burning ambition. Let’s hope so.

Cycles of suspicion

YOU can’t help thinking that the saga over the temporary closure of the Narrabundah Velodrome could have been avoided.

The ACT Government closed the track following a liability assessment. The report apparently revealed concerns about safety with repairs needed. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise as the condition of the velodrome has been raised often over the years, particularly the need to either upgrade the facility or build a new one.

Twenty years ago it might not have been an issue but with public liability the way it is, the Government needs to protect itself.

It says the track will be re-opened once repairs have been carried out, but the cycling community remain suspicious.

Cyclists believe the decision to close the track came suddenly and without warning, fuelling a belief that there are plans to close the track permanently and sell the land to developers. The Government says nothing could be further from the truth.

Fair go for Paralympians

LAST month I wrote about the poor treatment of our Paralympians by Athletics Australia. Canberra’s World and Paralympic champion Evan O’Hanlon went public and expressed his frustration after a meet in Sydney where he felt Paralympic athletes were being treated as second-class citizens.

It was felt that there was little understanding about the different classes of athlete and there was little attempt to profile the Paralympians.

In the wake of Evan going public, I can report things have changed for the better. Athletics Australia has lifted its game and the Paralympians are now getting a fair go.