TELECOMMUNICATIONS giants Digicel yesterday signalled a major turning point in Jamaica’s track and field history with the launch of its inaugural Grand Prix Athletics Championships at the UWI/Usain Bolt Regupol Track at Mona.

The new series will see thousands of athletes from 200 high schools across Jamaica competing in seven track and field disciplines at six development meets, culminating with a grand finale on March 14, where the boys’ and girls’ champion teams will win $1 million each in gym equipment, while the top male and female coaches will walk away with $50,000 each.

Digicel has signed a three-year agreement with the six development meets, which are the Youngster Goldsmith slated for Stadium East this Saturday; the Camperdown Classic at the National Stadium on February 14; the Corporate Area meet at the National Stadium on February 19; Western Championships at Catherine Hall on February 21; Central Championships at Vere Technical and Kirkvine from February 23 through 25; and the G C Foster Classic at the National Stadium on March 14.

The events to be contested are the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4X400m relays, as well as the long jump and discus. Boys will compete in the Under-19 and Under-17 categories, while girls will compete in the Under-19 and Under-16 age classification.

The eight athletes to qualify for the grand finale on March 14 will comprise the top two finishers from both the Central and Western Championships, and the top four finishers from the Corporate Area meet.

Points will be allocated according to the Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships rules and regulations — 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 for individual events, and 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 for the relay — and will be accumulated from the regional meets and carried over to the grand finale to determine the overall school champions.

“This initiative is about creating sustainability in athletics and developing the sport. This is what is needed in order for Jamaica to continue producing world-class athletes and maintaining our sporting reputation as a country,” said Peter Lloyd, marketing director at Digicel.

“We feel that the onus is on us as corporate companies to ensure that we do not lose sight of the main objective, which is to develop an extended pool of talented athletes by making a more impactful investment or purchasing equipment and gear that will sustain the growth of track and field.”

“This series is therefore not about sponsorship — it’s about a partnership to raise the level of athletics in Jamaica,” he added.

Minister with responsibility for sports Natalie Neita-Headley was overjoyed at the partnership.

“Despite our global and regional success in track and field, many of our local meets still struggle to receive the requisite corporate sponsorship. Today, thanks to Digicel’s generous support, six such meets will be able to put that worry behind them and can instead surge forward, secure in the knowledge that sponsorship has been secured for the next three years.”

And Dr Warren Blake, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), was also pleased with the new initiative by Digicel.

He said: “The JAAA is happy that Digicel has agreed to sponsor a series of meets on our calendar, a Grand Prix of meets. This sponsorship will go a long way in ensuring the continued viability of these meets, which form an integral part of our calendar of events and assist in the development of our junior athletes.”

Olympics and World Championships double gold medallists and Digicel Ambassador Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce gave the series a huge endorsement.

The petite speedster commended the communications company for its vision in helping to continue the country’s proud legacy in track and field, having already been involved at the grassroots level. “With these initiatives I’m sure we will show the world that ‘we nuh dun yet’,” she said.

Meanwhile, Maurice Wilson, athletic director at GC Foster College and head of the technical committee overseeing the Grand Prix Series, explained that the format of the series is a work in progress.

“We tried to organise it in such a way that we would have equity right across the board in terms of representation from athletes and the schools involved. What we did was to organise the championship in regions — central, western and also the corporate region. Then we went on to organise the meets in terms of categories — Under-19 and Under-16 for females, and Under-19 and Under-17 for males,” he said.

The technical committee comprises Wilson, Ricardo Martin, Orrett Wallace, Stephen Smith, Ventley Brown, Raffic Shaw, Greg Scott and Dave Myrie.