World champion Phillips for Douglas Forrest meet

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

FOUR-TIME IAAF World Athletics Championships long jump gold medallist, American Dwight Phillips, will be the special guest at next weekend's Douglas Forrest Invitational track and field meet at the National Stadium.

Phillips is the latest in a line of world-class athletes who have been invited to the meet. It is the policy of the meet's organisers to invite top overseas-based track and field stars to provide motivational talks to young local athletes.

Among those who have been invited to past meets are Americans Shawn Crawford, the 2004 Olympic 200 metres champion; 2003 World 100m champion Torri Edwards; 1968 Olympic 200 metres bronze medallist John Carlos; world 400 metres hurdles record holder and 1992 Olympic gold medallist Kevin Young; Lee Evans, the 1968 Olympic 400 metres gold medallist and Mel Pender, 1968 Olympic 100 metres finalist along with Trinidad & Tobago's Ato Boldon, the 1997 World 200 metres champion.

Exciting meet

Phillips, who also captured the gold medal in the long jump at the 2004 Olympics Games in Athens, Greece, is expected to arrive in the island next Wednesday.

Brian Smith, head of the organising committee, said he is looking forward to a very exciting meet.

"We want to put on a very good meet and the hope is that everyone will stay injury-free, because this is an Olympic and World Junior Championship year," said Smith. Entries for the meet will close tomorrow.

Lauri-Ann Ainsworth, marketing and communication manager of Jamaica Money Market Brokers, one of the title sponsors for the event, said her company is committed to the development of Jamaica's athletes.

"We believe in the development of our country and we are very passionate about sports," said Ainsworth.

She added that there is a need for more sports development and for a greater number of companies to come forward to provide sponsorship for events like the Douglas Forrest meet.

Three new events have been added to this year's staging of the event - the javelin, discus and pole vault.

Other events to be contested at this year's staging of the popular one-day meet are 200m, 800m, 3,000m, 1,500m, 5,000m, 400m hurdles, 4x400m relay and sprint medley relays, shot put and all jumps. In addition, there will also be a separate 200m event for Special Olympic athletes.

Each team will be allowed to enter three athletes per event. More than 3,000 athletes from 76 teams took part in last year's meet, and Smith said he is expecting more participants this year. One overseas team, Columbia University from the United States, has already been confirmed for the meet.