‘Run for the Republic’ 2026 meet cancelled

The annual ‘Run for the Republic’ development track and field meet scheduled for Herbert Morrison Technical High School, Montego Bay, on Saturday, January 17 has been cancelled.

The announcement was made in a press release published by the organisers on Thursday morning.

While noting the level of support received for the meet in the past two seasons, president Michael Campbell said the decision to cancel was a hard one and that he is confident that the 2027 staging will start where the 2025 event ended.

“All things considered, it is in order for us to step aside for a minute and give the government and related agencies some space to continue the relief and recovery operations while we use the time to plan for a bigger and better staging, next year,” said Campbell, president of Comets Club International which is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

At a virtual meeting of directors, officers and members held just before the Christmas holidays, the decision was taken not to stage the meet this year, as a result of Hurricane Melissa which damaged the host venue and much of the staging area when it hit Jamaica on October 28 last year.

Additionally, the decision to cancel the meet was due to the fact that quite a bit of damage was done to many of the schools and businesses in the western half of the island, which the organisers say are critical to the overall success of the development programme.

Started in 2024 by the Montego Bay Comets Athletics Club and its USA-based affiliate, Comets Club International, the mid-January outing aims to provide coaches and athletes with yet another platform to gauge development and preparation for upcoming national meets minus the challenges of a long distance trip and a strained budget.