ISSA considers plan B - Sporting body says COVID-19 spike forces realistic deliberation for provisional Champs date
Published:Monday | February 8, 2021 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
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ISSA President Keith Wellington gave the clearest indication yet that contingency measures may have to be enacted for the scheduling of this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs). An initial date of March 23-27...
ISSA President Keith Wellington gave the clearest indication yet that contingency measures may have to be enacted for the scheduling of this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs).
An initial date of March 23-27 was agreed for the competition, with a provision to host it from May 4-8 should the island experience a surge in COVID-19 cases. Jamaica has recently reported consecutive days of triple-digit increases, with the latest figures on Sunday showing 244 cases detected on Saturday. Despite the Government authorising the return of sporting events on a case-by-case basis on Friday, Wellington says the circumstances meet the criteria for a potential date change, although no decision has yet been made.
“We are still mindful of what is happening, and I think [for] Champs, that March date is definitely under threat,” Wellington told The Gleaner. “I would not like to say exactly where we are in terms of making that final decision, but if you look at what is happening, I think the conditions that we are now in are the conditions that we would have considered when thinking about [putting] aside an alternate date.”
ADHERING TO COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
A provision included in the Disaster Management Risk (Enforcement) Order now allows sporting events to take place as long as they adhere to COVID-19 protocol. Requests are to be resubmitted to the director of sport at the Ministry of Sport and will be forwarded to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management for final approval. The 2021 domestic athletic season has yet to start, with over 12 meets postponed because of COVID-19. Although Wellington says that the Government’s decision is a positive step, they are still mindful that the surge could still affect approval for meets.
“We are still cognizant of the fact that, ultimately, whether or not we resume is dependent on the conditions prevailing, and I think that all of us would be concerned about what has transpired over the last 10 days or so regarding the spike. So, we are mindful of that,” Wellington said.
Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) First Vice-President Ian Forbes confirmed in an interview with The Gleaner on January 31 that there is a provision to allow the body to have the sole responsibility for organising meets as part of their safety measures to resume events. It is a measure that has not been well received by some organisers. However, Wellington said that it would allow COVID-19 measures to be more standardised across all events.
“By getting the JAAA involved and allowing them to do the discussions with the Government, it means that the standard expected for each meet would be fairly established, and it would help the meet organisers in meeting the requirements of the Government,” Wellington said. “If each meet organiser, including ISSA, has any discussions with the Ministry [of Sport] by themselves as individuals, I think it would be a lot more challenging.”
Sprintec Track Club head coach Maurice Wilson says that despite athletics now being in what he says is a good position to resume, they cannot afford to act hastily on resumption.
“It is extremely important to get them active, but we must also bear in mind that there has to be a delicate balance in maintaining the safety of our population and also getting these sporting activities up and running,” Wilson said.