Up to 20,000 spectators per day have been authorised by Government of Jamaica agencies to attend the 2022 edition of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships.
The five-day annual event is slated for Kingston’s National Stadium from April 5-9 was executed without spectators last year, while in 2020 the event was cancelled due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
As part of GraceKennedy’s 100th anniversary, the title sponsor has pledged educational grants valued at $100,000 to all seven winners of the 100m finals, as well as the 4x100m relays.
“Champs is a critical part of youth and sport development in Jamaica. This is not an expense, this is an investment, and we are confident at GraceKennedy and as a nation, we are going to see the returns on this investment,” GraceKennedy Group’s chief executive officer Don Wehby said. The company has pledged $88-million in sponsorship for this year’s championships.
Wehby and his company have gone a step further as they have committed to exploring ways to protect the welfare of athletes, a sore point that has been allowed to fester for many years.
There has been a recent schedule change designed to be much more athlete-friendly, but Wehby, a former St George’s College sprint hurdler, recommended during Monday’s launch of the event at the National Stadium that athletes injured during the championships only be allowed to re-engage in competition if they are cleared by an independent medical body.
“If a child is stretchered off they need to be certified by an independent panel to say ‘yes, they can run again’,” he said.
“While I believe in recovery, I don’t believe a child should be injured and then I see them running a 4x400m the next day,” he added.
It is a widely held view that some school coaches and support staff have often contributed to the abuse of athletes all for the garnering of points toward championship success.
ISSA President Keith Wellington was elated with the increased number of spectators allowed and he said his association will make allowance for 3,500 spectators in the grandstand and 16,500 in the bleachers daily.
In heralding the return of spectators, Wellington said the association will make accommodation for 3,500 people in the grandstand and 16,500 in the bleachers.
Wellington advised the media that tickets will be available for online purchase starting 12:00 pm Tuesday at www.tickets.issasports.com. Others will be able to buy tickets from yet-to-be-confirmed physical outlets as of March 28.
He also noted that the easing of the Government’s measures to fight the spread of the virus will allow fan attendance regardless of an individual’s COVID-19 vaccination status. Nonetheless, he urged all attendees to be vigilant against virus spread and stick to mask-wearing, physical distancing, hand washing and hand-sanitising practices.
