Gibson organisers expect big local turnout at Relays

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Organisers of this year's Gibson Relays are expecting a drop in the number of inter-national entries but are confident that the local numbers will surpass that of last year, when the 35th renewal of the highly regarded relay carnival gets under way on March 12, on the newly refurbished National Stadium track.

Winston Ulett, a member of the organising committee, admitted at a sponsors luncheon and draw for events held at the Terra Nova Hotel, St Andrew, yesterday, that there very well may be a significant fall-out in terms of the entries coming from overseas, but rallied with the assurance that this year's staging will boast more athletes than the previous staging overall.

Strong local support

"Locally, the entries haven't been affected at all. In fact, we haven't been able to make space for all the local teams that have made requests," Ulett pointed out.

"In terms of the overseas entries, those have been affected somewhat because some of them have not been able to fit the new date in their schedules, so that has been affected but the local entries have not been affected. In fact, I think we are going to have a bigger meet than last year," Ulett added.

Ulett is expecting just under 4,000 athletes at this year's meet, an improvement on the approximately 3,600 athletes that took part in last year's relays.

The meet, which came close to being cancelled because of glitches in the renovation work being carried out the National Stadium, was only rescued after organisers of the G.C. Foster Classics decided to switch their date on the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association calendar with the Gibson Relays

Great Jamaican tradition

Neville 'Teddy' McCook, chairman of the Gibson Relays organising committee, expressed gratitude to his colleagues at the G.C. Foster College and the meet's 36 sponsors, while weighing in with his views on the impact of the changed date on the international entries.

"I think that it is only fair to say publicly to the G.C. Foster College family, our sincere thanks to them for making this possible. It was on their insistence that we should not cancel what is regarded as a great Jamaican tradition and, as such, they did everything to ensure that this meet could take place and we are extremely thankful," said McCook. "Also to our sponsors who rallied around us, despite the doubt around the event they came on board."