Champs and nation building
THE INTER-SECONDARY Schools Sports Association (ISSA) GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championship is now over, and while winners are celebrating and losers commiserating, stakeholders are pointing to the event’s value as a tool for youth development.
Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke said that while he had the privilege of representing Munro College at Western Champs, he sees sports for its value in character development.
“I see the role that something like Champs plays as indispensable in building Jamaica, and it’s not only who comes first. The person who comes last derives as much long-term value as the person who comes first because after the presentation (of medals) are the character lessons, and the character lessons are available to all participants,” he said.
There is no question as to the financial value of Champs. In February, ISSA President Dr Walton Small said that the school sports governing body had purchased a building valued at $50 million, to house its new headquarters.
“One of the things I have indicated from the onset is that we must pay all our bills. So one thing I am comfortable with is that I will not leave ISSA in any debt,” Small said.
However, Small also noted that the violence that was once a staple of the build-up to Champs has become a thing of the past and pointed to the ‘Peace for Champs’ initiative as one his finest achievements as president.
FRIENDLY RIVALRY
“All of that violence has gone because of the relationship with the police and students. We are doing this in friendly rivalry,” he said.
Director of Community Services and Development, University of Technology, Paulton Gordon, added that sports is a great tool for social development and that Champs can teach individuals the value of working together.
“People are realising that sport can be used as a tool for social development because it creates a platform for people to integrate and understand each other better. Sport is primarily teamwork, and teamwork goes beyond your team. It’s a life lesson for persons who want to understand what is required to live and relate to their fellow man,” said Gordon.
Some of Jamaica’s top athletes, who emerged as stars at Champs, have contributed to national development through foundations, such as the Usain Bolt Foundation; the Pocket Rocket Foundation (Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce), and the YB Afraid Foundation (Yohan Blake).
Sport also has the potential to reap huge financial rewards, if done right. According to 2017 figures, sport contributes 2.6 per cent of Jamaica’s gross domestic product. In 2016, Olympic 100m and 200m champion, Elaine Thompson, earned US$100,000 from winnings on the International Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League circuit.
Clarke stated that the character-building values of sport can also contribute to economic development.
“It’s extremely useful in entrepreneurial and business activities because you begin to understand what it takes to ultimately succeed and recover from setbacks. In many countries, persons who excel in sports are people who end up doing well in entrepreneurial activities,” Clarke said.