Jamaica’s Minister of Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange is calling on schools and coaches to help in preventing students from displaying acts of indiscipline at the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships.
This follows reports that GraceKennedy Group, a major sponsor of the event, could withdraw its sponsorship due to acts of indiscipline.
“As the minister of sport, I am saying that we cannot allow indiscipline by high school children to be the cause of a disruption in the sponsorship of champs by the GraceKennedy Group, which has been huge for many years. I am calling on the schools, the coaches, and their charges to ensure that this year is the last we will see acts of indiscipline by student athletes at Champs,” said Minister Grange said in a press release on Monday.
Athletes from competing schools were seen acting pointing gun fingers at their opponents at the most recent ISSA finals, which were held over the weekend.
In response, GraceKennedy threatened to stop supporting the event if the misbehavior persists.
The minister Olivia Grange stated that to prevent future instances of indiscipline, she is also open to speaking with ISSA, representatives from other schools, and sponsors.
According to the minister, the lack of discipline seen by students, would not only dampen the enthusiasm of sponsors, “but will put what is considered to be the world’s leading high school track and field competition into disrepute”.
However, she said that it is good news that Senator Don Wehby, the chief executive officer of GraceKennedy Group said Grace is willing to do what it can to help the athletes display civil behavior.
