Thank you, Dehring, Grange, Bartlett

Tony Becca

On Friday night at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston, Jamaica, through the RJR Sports Foundation, honoured the country's top sportsmen and sportswomen for 2008 with the treasured awards.

The Sportsman of the Year and, the Sportswoman of the Year, respectively, went to Usain Bolt and in an unusual situation, not to one or the other, but to Veronica Campbell-Brown and to Melaine Walker.

In the shadows of all the memory and all the celebration, however, were the pleading of Chris Dehring, the chairman of the foundation, for more government support for sport; the promise by Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, the minister of information, culture, youth and sports, for more support from the Government; and the announcement by Ed Bartlett, the minister of tourism, of a link between his ministry and the ministry with responsibility for sports which will see, at last, sports and tourism coming together in a move that will see the Jamaican economy benefiting from the country's greatness in sport.

Great achievements of bolt

After speaking about the great achievements of Bolt, Campbell-Brown, Walker, Shelly-Ann Fraser and others during the past year, and after mentioning the embarrassing situation which saw the second Test between the West Indies and England in Antigua being abandoned after 10 deliveries because of a dangerous outfield, Dehring pleaded once again for government support for sport.

"Because our sportsmen and women are so important, it behoves us to consider how we approach the administration of, and the policy for, sports in Jamaica and the Caribbean. For Antigua is not alone in its shame. And our own past is as littered with embarrassing moments off the field of play, as many times our athletes have shone on it. And don't for a moment believe that Jamaica escapes the damning shadow of today's abandoned match simply because it happened in Antigua.

"The time has come for us to take the business of sports seriously. The events today serves as a timely reminder, that sports can be a wonderful billboard to the world of our immense talent, but when broadcast to millions around the world, as in today's Test match, it can equally expose our woeful inadequacies.

"The question must be asked if it is responsible for any government to sit back and allow its brand to be exposed to international sports events and not get involved in its own brand management and protection. The modern-day complexities of international sports demand it.

"As tonight is the night for our sportsmen and women, let us resolve that all of us, administrators, sporting bodies, governments, private sector companies and the public, will strive to do better when it comes to supporting our athletes, just as our athletes strive to do their best for us.

"Let us resolve to provide them with the proper training and practice facilities; let us resolve to administer sports in a professional manner; let us resolve to honour them properly and reward them for the blood and tears they shed in our country's name; and let us resolve that Jamaica will lead the region in the development of a true sports industry so that our athletes can have the opportunity of becoming professionals right here at home."

Government's priority

As one who, despite always reminding the government about its priorities, such as education, health, housing, etc, etc., has been talking and writing for more than 30 years about tourism and sport for a better Jamaica, the plea by Dehring, for the umpteenth time, was refreshing and, especially so, the applause which followed it.

What was really great, however, was what followed.

Minutes after Dehring's emotional plea, Minister Grange stood up and said that she was in Beijing during the Olympic Games, that she felt proud, that because of what happened in Beijing, because of what the Jamaicans did in Beijing, a Chinese delegation had visited Jamaica, that trade ties had been formed and that the Government was determined to support sports in Jamaica.

And if that was great, better was still to come.

A few minutes afterwards, Bartlett stepped up to the podium, adjusted the mike and confidently said for all Jamaica to hear, that he, too, was in Beijing, that he was in the Bird's Nest, that he saw first hand the impact of Jamaica's greatness in sport, and that his ministry and the ministry with responsibility for sports had come together, that they had set up a committee to look into the matter.

Marketing sports

He added that, in time, Jamaica will be marketing sport in such in a way that there will be an industry from which the economy will benefit, from which Jamaica's sportsmen and sportswomen will benefit financially, and one from which others, like coaches, trainers, managers, physiotherapists and journalists, will benefit financially.

"We bask with tremendous pride on the personal achievements of those we honour this evening. We cannot help but be deeply humbled by the awesome reality that this small country can so proudly stand at the pinnacle of the world sporting stage, and we are going to do everything we can possibly do to ensure that we will be able to celebrate achievements like these almost all the time."

Thank you, Usain Bolt, thank you, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Melaine Walker, thank you Shelly-Ann Fraser, and thanks to everyone who made 2008 a great year for Jamaica's sports.

Coupled with that, however, is another thank you to Dehring, Grange and Bartlett for your plea, for your promise and for your commitment.

Because of you, and especially so if Grange keeps her promise and if Bartlett sticks to his commitment, Jamaica should continue to produce world champions, and because of those champions, Jamaica, which needs every cent in order to offer to its people a better education, better health care and better housing, etc., etc., should be better off financially.