Off and running - Beckford wants more track coverage

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Sports management and communications consultant, Carole Beckford, has appealed to the local television industry to pay more attention to, and invest more in the broadcast of track and field events, as in the long run this could give an enormous lift to the sport.

Beckford, who was guest speaker at yesterday's official launch of The Gleaner's Daegu to London Olympic coverage, pointed to trends in the international marketplace for sports, and specifically to track and field, and what can be earned by members of the private and public sectors if proper investments are made.

"Much of the money that professional athletes make comes from broadcasting rights," Beckford outlined in her presentation.

"With this in mind, Jamaicans in both the private and public sector need to step up the production of more track and field content, and sports in general, as this can and will help the sport locally to be more professional with spin-offs for all its stakeholders, including citizens, athletes, coaches, managers, schools, track and field clubs, etc."

In what was a wide-ranging presentation titled 'Making Money From Athletics', Beckford, who is also the publicist for World and Olympic 100 and 200 metres champion Usain Bolt, said the time had come for industry stakeholders to realise the value of track and field, and what it can do to help boost the earning potential of many Jamaicans.

Growing industry

She said that while track and field internationally does not earn as much as sports such as football, cricket and basketball, it is an ever growing industry, and given the raw athletic talent that the country has at its disposal, more effort needed to be made to cash in.

"Track and field has been the centrepiece of the Summer Olympic Games since 1896, and Jamaica, given our athletic talents and record setting achievements over the years, has a comparative and competitive advantage that needs to be capitalised on," Beckford urged.

"However, in order to achieve this, a lot needs to be done in terms of the country's focus and approach. First, we need a clear message from the Government via a sports policy as to what they want to achieve from the industry.

"This policy should then be followed up by programmes and initiatives geared towards garnering support for the industry.

"Among the programmes that are to be considered are a focus on sports academics and research, technical training, and marketing and promotions.

"Another area is facilities/venue development, inclusive of strategic locations across the island, the promotion of events for economic activity, and maintenance management," she added.

The Gleaner's Daegu to London project is an initiative geared towards facilitating world-class media coverage of Jamaica's journey from the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, to next year's London 2012 Olympic Games.

The project will see The Gleaner delivering to readers information on the journey via several platforms, including radio, print, online, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the project's official website.