(From left) Muschett High's Johan-Ramaldo Smythe, Jamaica College's Dontae Watson and St Jago High's Malachi Needham compete in the Class One Boys' 100m heat during the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Tuesday. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
Champs gets Sands’ approval
North American, Central American, and Caribbean Athletics Association President Mike Sands says the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) deserves more credit for its level organisation.
Sands, the former Bahamian record holder in the sprints, is on the island attending the 115th staging of the five day event at the National Stadium.
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Over the years, including this year’s staging, local fans have expressed various issues during the championships, including the scheduling of events and the officials in charge of the events.
However, Sands says ISSA should get more praise for the execution of a high-level athletics event.
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“Out of curiosity, I asked how many officials run this event because you can look at it and see that everything seems to be in sync,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “ISSA has to be commended as the organiser, to be able to pull off an event of this magnitude at such a consistent basis.”
Sands says Champs remains a global phenomenon in the track and field world.
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“When you look at the calibre of athletes that come out of Champs, there’s nothing in the world compared to Champs — particularly at the junior level,” he said.
“There’s two track meets around the world that if you’re a track fan, you want to attend — the Penn Relays which Jamaica dominates, and Champs. This is the foundation of Jamaica’s successful programme so it’s a must-see event.”
Sands says ISSA and the schools involved should continue to raise the bar to help develop Jamaica’s athletes for the world stage.
“I would say continue to do what they’re doing,” he said. “At the end of the meet, do a post-mortem and see what would have went wrong, invite feedback from persons and observers, because it can only improve.
“The coaches and administrators of the school are doing a tremendous job. The young people of this country look forward to this event more so than any other event, including Carifta Games. Because this event is such a positive event for the young people, it has to be continued so the athletes will be able to strive and be motivated.”
