THE EDITOR, Sir:
CONGRATULATIONS ARE in order to those responsible for the staging of the just concluded World Junior Games at our National Stadium. A few questions need to be asked of our sports administrators.
Do we really expect a 15-year-old to anchor one race and to run with equal vigour in a second race in less than two hours? We must be mad. In all of Jamaica could we not find even two other athletes capable of running a good 400 metres leg?
What in heaven's name has happened to our baton-changing skills? Have we learnt nothing from our rivals to the north? We have quality athletes but our baton changes keep messing up our game. Coaches will you take charge please?
Jamaica's athletes have done very well. Congratulations to them all. Now that we have identified a beautiful crop of athletes with guts and determination, can we spend some money and keep them together in preparation for 2004? With such youthful athletes at our disposal we need to train them, support them, conserve them against the various social depredations that can so easily steal our brightest and best. Husbandry is the name of the game.
Since both Football and Athletics need large sums of money, I propose that the JAAA and the JFF form a commercial alliance by incorporating themselves as a joint venture company and selling shares to the public to raise some $2 billion to be invested as an endowment fund for sports, with both bodies paying their expenses out of the interest earned from this fund.
Most Jamaicans with a love for sports will probably spend the $1,000 to help raise the fund without expecting money in return if the performances indicate that the money is being spent to train and keep our athletes/footballers.
Please sports administrators, can we take a more proactive, commercial approach to funding our sports? If you do decide to go commercial, let's do it for 2004, 2006 and beyond.
I am etc.,
CLIVE OCNACUWENGA.
gingerground@hotmail.com
Box 83
Gregory Park P.O.
St. Catherine
