We must milk sports, not sugar - students

Paul Clarke, Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau:

Sixth-form students at The Manning's School in Westmoreland think the Government should use sports tourism as the engine to drive economic growth in light of the uncertain future of sugar.

"I think the Government should make sports investment viable by positioning it as the country's leading industry," said Steven Gardner, one of the sixth-formers who participated in last Wednesday's Gleaner/Island Grill Youth Editors' Forum at the school.

"It will be good investment for us. Milk it!" stated Gardner.

Noting that sports is a multibillion-dollar industry, the students argued that after the global success of a brilliant 2008 Beijing Olympics and the fantastic 2009 and 2011 World Championships in Athletics, the country is perfectly poised to cash in on the lucrative industry.

"With the exploits of Usain Bolt and many other Jamaican sports stars, we should be looking to benefit more from this industry," said Gardner, who advanced the point that sports tourism could replace sugar as a foreign-exchange earner.

"We must tap into the sport's euphoria that is Brand Jamaica and tap into non-traditional sports such as chess, tennis, and badminton to spur development even while we continue to rigorously push athletics," said Curtis Moxam.

Proper programmes needed

Generally, the students were of the view that the country needs to develop proper programmes and policies to exploit the success of track stars Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Asafa Powell, and Yohan Blake, who are all world-beaters.

They also made a case for the exploits of the Reggae Boyz, who participated in the 1998 World Cup in France as well as the Sunshine Girls, who are major standard-bearers in the world of netball.

According to the National Sports Policy Green Paper, over the last 62 years, Jamaica has unequivocally established itself as a successful sporting nation, particularly in athletics. The achievements have been measured by the performances at world meetings such as the prestigious Olympic Games and World Championships in Athletics.

Well-respected website sportbusiness.com states that sports tourism is a multibillion-dollar business, one of the fastest-growing areas of the US$4.5-trillion global travel and tourism industry, which constitutes approximately 10 per cent of the global gross domestic product as of 2011, accounting for as much as 25 per cent of all tourism receipts.

Seemingly satisfied that the future of sugar is uncertain, the students at The Manning's School are ready to support any government initiative to utilise sports as a premier income generator over the ailing sugar industry.

"We should create the link with our apparel and craft industries as an offshoot of sports tourism to help foster the desired growth in this area," said Christa Molison.

Would you advise the Government to abandon sugar for sports or music as viable economic options?

Oshane Vascianna

Yes, I would because when you look at the pros and cons of sugar cane production, it is my view that we could reap more rewards from sports and music.

Tadgewayne Marshall

No, I don't think I'd abandon it totally. As a country, we can use the sugar cane production to boost our energy efficiency.

Leon Malcolm

No, I would not. It's not being marketed in the right way, and with a good planning system and administration in place, the sugar cane industry can see a turnaround.

Mittonia Thompson

Yes, I would, temporarily, because I think we need to shun mediocrity and embrace the plethora of potential that is out there in sports and music.

Curtis Moxam

I would not abandon sugar because it is like a sick puppy that can be nurtured back to health in time. What we should do is to enhance sports and music to the point where we can use those funds and recapture our sugar industry.

Chris Parchment

Yes, because even if we maximise production, that doesn't mean we have a market.

Dorrel Dixon

I wouldn't abandon sugar cane because the main crop in the US is corn, and in Brazil it's sugar cane, so why can't sugar cane be our main crop? Why can't we get power from sugar cane?

Garrick Donaldson

I would move away from sugar for a while. I would hospitalise it; I would give it time to be rehabilitated.

Derika Bailey

Yes, I would abandon sugar cane for sports because there are many opportunities in sports that will move us forward. Sugar cane is, unfortunately, in our past.

Steven Gardner

No, I wouldn't because what if in the future it can be brought back and even overshadow sports and music? Then we'd have thrown something completely good out the door. So we can't abandon it now.