Four Jamaicans in race for positions in IAAF
BEIJING, China — Four Jamaicans were last night in the running for committee positions as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) 50th Congress was due to elect a new president.
Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president Dr Warren Blake, general secretary Garth Gayle, Olympic champion Deon Hemmings-McCatty and Allan Beckford are the candidates who were seeking positions.
Dr Blake had his eye on one of the nine seats for Ordinary Members on the IAAF Council from the 39 nominees named, including NACAC president Victor Lopez of Puerto Rico, Pauline Davis-Thompson of The Bahamas, Cuban Alberto Juantorena, Poland’s Irena Szewinska, Ireland’s Sonia O’Sullivan and Morocco’s Nawal El.
Ahead of the vote, Dr Blake was quietly confident that Jamaica would sit in this high council of the IAAF. “I am hopeful. It would definitely increase Jamaica’s voice,” he said.
Gayle, who earlier this month was elected an ordinary council member of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC), was seeking one of the 12-member seats on the IAAF Technical Committee from the 34 nominees. Barbados’ Esther Maynard and former world record holder Filbert Bayi of Tanzania were also nominated.
Olympic gold medal-winning 400m hurdler Deon Hemmings-McCatty had offered herself for one of eight member seats on the IAAF Women’s Committee, while Beckford targeted one of eight member seats on the Cross Country Committee.
Meanwhile, Lord Sebastian Coe and Sergey Bubka were the leading candidates at press time seeking to replace IAAF president Lamine Diack, and it appears the Jamaicans have endorsed Lord Coe as their candidate of choice. Coe visited the island earlier this year as part of his mission to ramp up support.