Readers Gail Hoad and L. Green made the point soberly in letters published in yesterday's edition of this newspaper. We, too, had wondered about the essence of last Saturday's event paying tribute to the excellence of the performance of our athletes at the Olympics. The programme, for the most part lacked substance, thought and, largely failed to capture the mood of upliftment most people expected - a far cry from the Independence Gala.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.