Talent alone isn’t enough to keep athletes home

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Some time ago, former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell made a statement that shook Jamaican track and field fans. He said if his children decided to pursue athletics, they would not be representing Jamaica should the current conditions persist. Critics wasted no time in calling him ungrateful, bitter, disloyal. However, a few weeks later, Powell’s words echo not as resentment – but as prophecy.

We are now witnessing top-tier Jamaican athletes – Olympians, world champions, flag-bearers – making the unprecedented decision to switch national allegiance to Türkiye. These athletes, who once brought Jamaica global glory are willingly sitting out three years of competition just for the chance to represent another country. That’s not just a decision – that’s a statement. And the message is clear, Jamaica’s sporting system is failing its athletes.

This is not just about athletics. It is part of a deeper, broader problem within the entire sports administration. We have seen repeated issues within the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) – contract disputes, public clashes, and disrespectful treatment of players. We have seen several controversies in track and field over team selection, a lack of transparency, and murky relationships with sponsors. Over and over, athletes are being left to fend for themselves while the people tasked with managing their careers act like gatekeepers rather than guardians.

Let us be realistic. We cannot match countries like Türkiye dollar for dollar. But what we can do is build a system of respect, transparency, and stability that nurtures talent and earns loyalty. Athletes should not feel that they must choose between national pride and personal survival. While light up with pride when our anthem plays on the world stage, I have also come to understand that our athletes carry more than flags – they carry burdens we rarely see. So let us not view their choice to go elsewhere as betrayal but a reflection of the realities that we too face as regular Jamaicans.

If Jamaica wants to remain a global athletic powerhouse, we must take this moment seriously. We must professionalise our sporting institutions, hold administrators accountable, and start treating athletes like the national assets they are. Because if Asafa’s prophecy has taught us anything, it’s that talent alone isn’t enough to keep our stars home.

JOHNOY DAVIS

Atlanta, Georgia