Bolt's molehill as mountain

Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake were criticised for their jokes when the national anthem was being sung during the medal presentation ceremony at the recent World Championships. Both Bolt and Blake have apologised for their actions.

However, persons will not stop at that.Instead, a letter to the editor warned Bolt about becoming a clown. And a columnist claimed that he was against Bolt getting the national award of Order of Jamaica (OJ) because he was immature and used that incident to justify his position. These comments are making a mountain out of a molehill. We should not equate Bolt's actions with insensitivity to our national ethos, symbols or Jamaica.

A couple years ago, Merrick Needham, protocol specialist, at a session at Boulevard Baptist Church, demonstrated how men should stand at attention during the singing of the national anthem. I have subsequently changed my stance, but I notice that the vast majority of men do not do it properly. This does not mean that these men are disrespectful to our national ethos, symbols or Jamaica.

Times have changed

Furthermore, things and times change. There was a time when it was not the thing to do to write in the Holy Bible, but now people make notes in Bibles, and it is not perceived as disrespectful.

Bolt's commitment to Jamaican traditions and Jamaica should not be questioned. Bolt, Blake, Asafa Powell, Michael Frater, Melaine Walker, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, among others, all train and live in Jamaica. Bolt is a superstar, and many countries would be happy to give him residence. While the majority of Jamaicans would migrate if given a visa, Bolt and others show their commitment to Jamaica by remaining.

Track meet schedules are arranged to focus on Bolt. He is paraded in motorcades before track meets and treated like a head of state. And though he walks with kings and queens, he has not lost the common touch. That shows he is a mature young man.There are many persons with OJs who are not as humble or mature as Bolt. They are not as approachable and accessible as he is.

Many persons fail to recognise what Bolt is doing when he smiles before a race and does his routine. All those stretches relax the muscles and help him to perform optimally. Obviously, it helps him to focus. It is a myth to believe that it is only a serious face that is focused.

And the celebration afterwards is a joy to behold.It was interesting to observe the usually stoic Frenchman, Christophe Lemaitre, who came third in the Worlds 200m and became the second-fastest Caucasian over the distance, was beside himself with that achievement. Some people, whose only athletic ability is to jump to conclusions, do not understand the euphoria of a major accomplishment.

Furthermore, after world number one Novak Djokovic won his US Open semi-final against Roger Federer, the announcer asked Novak to dance, which he obliged the New York crowd. That is the influence of Bolt on sports and great fun!

What is not funny is when Ity and Fancy Cat interviewed an obviously impoverished lady about what she would do with money that was found. She wanted it to pay her utility bills and her face was seen. This appears to be an insult to persons who are poor and desirous of five minutes of fame on television.

Instead, let us hail our athletes' performance, especially the world-record relay run, and publish the split of each runner, including Frater's fantastic run.

The Rev Devon Dick is an author and pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.