$50-million 'Champs' launched

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

A new century of local high school track and field competition was ushered in yesterday at the Terra Nova All Suites Hotel in St Andrew, as the 101st Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships was launched.

With a complete budget of just under $50 million, considerably more than the $30 million that was spent in 2010, this year's staging of the March 30-April 2 meet will be one of the most expensive yet, with the rental cost of the National Stadium ($6 million) and security expenses accounting for the bulk of the budget.

"The overall budget is just under $50 million, and thanks to the sponsors we are able to cover a significant portion of that, and we are hoping that the rest will come from gate receipts," explained ISSA president, Dr Walton Small. "The stadium rental is running approximately $6 million, that is a major expenditure. Support for volunteers in terms of food and hospitality will account for $4 million, and there are some other big items on the budget."

Small further explained that the gate receipts will not only cover the additional expenses but will also be used to fund other less-popular sporting undertakings by the organisation.

"Whatever we get from the gates is also used to fund other sports that do not attract the type of sponsorship that the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Championships attracts," Small shared.

Title sponsors GraceKennedy have renewed their sponsorship of the four-day meet, and Anthony Lawrence, global brand manager of GraceKennedy's Foods Division, spoke to his company's continued support for local sporting initiatives, as a tool for social development.

"Our sponsorship represents an investment in our young people; many of whom have gone on to become world beaters. Our sponsorship represents an investment in our school and an investment in our nation," Lawrence said. "Those are reasons enough why GraceKennedy decided to invest in this event.

"We wish to publicly thank ISSA for their continued efforts in honing the talents of our gifted athletes," Lawrence added.

Four new events

One hundred and thirteen boys' teams have been registered while 110 girls' team will turn out for the opening ceremony, which takes place on Friday, April 1 - a carry-over from last year's 100th anniversary celebrations.

Four new events have been added to the schedule this year: the 2000m men and women steeplechase, the Class One boys decathlon and the open javelin throw.

In terms of tickets, the first two days of competition will see entrance being made available to the grandstand section only at a cost of $300 for adults and $100 for children. On Friday, grandstand seats will attract a cost of $1,300 and $2,000 on Saturday.

Five hundred dollars will be the cost for a seat in the bleachers section on Friday, while on Saturday, tickets to this section will cost $1,000. Students will be able to purchase tickets at a discounted rate from their respective schools.