IT was just over a century ago that Jamaica hosted a six-month-long international industrial exhibition in Kingston at which many countries and individual cities in the world mounted exhibits and which was attended by more than 300,000 visitors from all over the world. Fifty years later there was a Caribbean Industrial Exhibition presented by the Kingston Jaycees which also attracted visitors from the Caribbean and regional neighbours.We have also hosted world leaders at conferences of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers, Commonwealth Parliamentarians, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government.
In the area of sports we have held international lawn tennis championships, and Caribbean table tennis, swimming, cycling, and hockey championships. Jamaica was also the arena for the first world heavyweight boxing championships held outside the United States and Europe, when George Foreman defeated Joe Frazier in a major upset at the National Stadium.
Thirty years ago, too, we held the World Netball Games, and will be doing so again next year.
This coming week, Jamaica will stage the World Junior Championships with the largest-ever gathering of participants from the largest number of countries to meet together on our shores - a total of 177 nations. The athletes who will be competing in these games are some of the best in the world, young men and women we have read about and seen on television. Now we have the opportunity of seeing them in person in our own country.
This small country has produced some of the world's greatest athletes. There was the famous quartet of Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, George Rhoden and Les Laing. To that pioneering four can be added Don Quarrie, George Kerr, Lennox Miller, Dennis Johnson, Merlene Ottey, Juliet Cuthbert, Grace Jackson, Kathy Rattray, Lorraine Fenton, and Deon Hemmings, to name a few. These are names known in the great stadia of the world, so that the selection of Jamaica to host these games this week is a tribute to our international status in the field of athletics.
We therefore welcome the athletes, their coaches, the officials and associate journalists to our shores. On our part, The Gleaner will be recording the thrills and attendant activity for our readers as we have been doing since the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1891. All Jamaica must feel proud that this small nation plays host once again to the world.
