Dalton Myers | Bridging the gap between athletes and JAAA

During each Olympic year, the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA) tends to hold its voting annual general meeting (AGM). This year should be another year of reflection as the delegates cast their ballots. You may recall that in 2012, Dr Warren Blake was victorious over both Grace Jackson and Lincoln Eatmon while in 2016, there was no contest and all nominees were voted in en bloc.

I don’t know if we will have any contest this year, but one can safely assume that at some point when we return to our “new normal”, the whispers may get louder. The campaign in 2012 had its negatives, but among the positives were the good ideas put forward by all three camps’ manifestos in the lead-up to the election. Whether those were just words on paper or plans that were executed is another story, but certainly, it gave us an idea of how our administrators were thinking in terms of growing the sport.

This year will offer a new opportunity for the JAAA to reassess itself, inject new ideas, and chart a course for making the sport viable for athletes while we continue to dominate on the international scene. As elections draw closer, there are a number of things that both delegates and the prospective candidates should consider. The athletics body will need to bridge the perceived gap between the athletes and the association. This can only be achieved if the athletes feel like they are a part of the decision-making process and are consulted throughout the year. Internationally, the establishment of athletes’ associations and Global Athlete highlights that globally, athletes continue to feel disempowered and dissatisfied, and oftentimes believe that sporting bodies do not always make decisions with their interests at heart. This also applies to Jamaican athletes whether these feelings are perception or reality.

ATHLETE SUPPORT

Athlete support is going to be even more crucial now than ever in the aftermath of the pandemic. I know that the JAAA supports some athletes through various means, but many athletes are often unaware of the medium to access such support, and in some cases, have not sought out these opportunities. Moving forward, this will need to be addressed in a big way.

I would suggest that the JAAA hold stakeholder consultations with not just athletes as a group, but also other groups such as coaches, officials, and sponsors in order to formulate a comprehensive plan. The JAAA can also partner with the G.C. Foster College, The UWI, The UTech, Jamaica, etc, to lean on their academic expertise. I am not suggesting that aspects of this haven’t happened before, but, rather, that the next four to eight years are going to be crucial for us to build on the successes we have had so far. This pandemic has forced us to meet using online platforms. It is an indication, or reminder, that we can engage more persons, including those in the diaspora, through these mediums in the consultation and/or decision-making process. They are key parts of the puzzle on which most of our sporting bodies have not yet capitalised.

MODERNISING TRACK AND FIELD

The new executive body will need to modernise the sport of track and field in Jamaica, utilising the technological advancement tools available. This could include using smart-device applications for athletes to register, or update their bio information, or access databases. Athletes and their support staff have become technologically savvy and depend on their smart devices for communication, analysis, and information.

Additionally, the general public at times wants to contribute to the sport as volunteers. Now is the time to engage the public more so that moving forward, people feel a part of the JAAA. The website and other communication tools will need to be modernised to connect all the different sectors of the sport, for example, access funding, contacting officials, donating to the JAAA, registering a complaint, or even accessing tool kits related to clean sport, girls and sport, athlete representation, and so on.

The JAAA has had many successes, and we continue to win medals at the junior and senior levels on the highest stage. However, there are so many opportunities, so much more to be done, so I hope that in moving forward, the association will be the driving force for innovation and new thinking in track and field as we move into a new Olympic cycle.

Dalton Myers is a sport consultant and host of The Drive Phase Podcast. Email feedback to daltonsmyers@gmail.com or tweet @daltonsmyers.