.... interesting that the World Champs don't dseem to figure in the calculus... if one is to go by this report.
Folding the clash into the Jamaica Invitational might be a good solution... if the yankees pay up.
Clash of dates stalling Ja v USA meet
KAYON RAYNOR, Senior staff reporter raynork@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
A clash of dates on the IAAF Calendar is the main deterrent against the proposed two-leg challenge meet between track and field powerhouses Jamaica and the United States.
President of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA), Howard Aris, told the Observer yesterday that the suggested dates in the month of May contained in an official correspondence from USA Track and Field (USATF) on Tuesday cannot work.
ARIS... dates being considered clash with IAAF Area Permit Meets"Part of the problem is that some of the dates that are being considered will clash with (IAAF) Area Permit Meets in this (NACAC) area and in South America, and therefore the next step has got to be USTAF, who are the initiators of this series of competitions, having to clear that with the IAAF," Aris said.
"I will contact the NACAC office here in Jamaica to let them be aware of the possible conflict and find a way to get around those before we can discuss the terms and conditions, the finances, sponsorship, the athletes to compete, the events and the dates," the JAAA boss added.
The Observer understands that the proposed dates in May would clash with the Ponce Grand Prix (Area Permit Meet) set for Puerto Rico on Saturday, May 16, as well as Gold Meeting Caixa Fortaleza (Area Permit Meet) in Brazil on May 20.
On March 7, USATF's CEO, Doug Logan, hand-delivered an initial letter to NACAC president Neville 'Teddy' McCook inviting Jamaica to engage in a home-and-away series in 2009 that would pit the two nations' sprinters and hurdlers against each other in head-to-head, team-scored competition.
The letter to McCook indicated that the meets would feature male and female athletes in the 100, 200 and 400 metres; 100/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles; long jump and the 4x100, 4x400 and sprint medley relays. The dates of the potential challenge meets are proposed for May and June.
"We're very clear that we would not be having any meet this year that would challenge the Jamaica Invitational Meet (set for May 2) in terms of our ability to organise two such competitions around the same time in Jamaica. We wouldn't be happy with that. If there is some other way to accommodate it we're prepared to discuss that with USA Track and Field later on this week," Aris explained.
Quizzed as to whether the meets could be arranged at the Jamaica International Invitational on May 2, Aris replied: "Their concept would not allow the Jamaica Invitational to be the event. I don't know what are the constraints regarding an Area Permit Meet, but maybe one or two races could be designated 'USA versus Jamaica' as we do at Penn Relays.
That's something that we're prepared to look at provided it does not violate the Area Permit status that we now have with the IAAF."
In the meantime, Aris re-affirmed that the JAAA's remains committed to any event that will ultimately help in the development of the country's athletics.
"We must be satisfied that we will also benefit from such an event both in terms of the costs to us as well as the type of athletes that we'll be able to provide to this competition," he said.
"If we can have a point of convergence where we benefit and the USA benefits, then we can proceed," Aris noted, adding that USATF is contemplating a major city on the East Coast for their leg of the home-and-away series.
Folding the clash into the Jamaica Invitational might be a good solution... if the yankees pay up.
Clash of dates stalling Ja v USA meet
KAYON RAYNOR, Senior staff reporter raynork@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
A clash of dates on the IAAF Calendar is the main deterrent against the proposed two-leg challenge meet between track and field powerhouses Jamaica and the United States.
President of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA), Howard Aris, told the Observer yesterday that the suggested dates in the month of May contained in an official correspondence from USA Track and Field (USATF) on Tuesday cannot work.
ARIS... dates being considered clash with IAAF Area Permit Meets"Part of the problem is that some of the dates that are being considered will clash with (IAAF) Area Permit Meets in this (NACAC) area and in South America, and therefore the next step has got to be USTAF, who are the initiators of this series of competitions, having to clear that with the IAAF," Aris said.
"I will contact the NACAC office here in Jamaica to let them be aware of the possible conflict and find a way to get around those before we can discuss the terms and conditions, the finances, sponsorship, the athletes to compete, the events and the dates," the JAAA boss added.
The Observer understands that the proposed dates in May would clash with the Ponce Grand Prix (Area Permit Meet) set for Puerto Rico on Saturday, May 16, as well as Gold Meeting Caixa Fortaleza (Area Permit Meet) in Brazil on May 20.
On March 7, USATF's CEO, Doug Logan, hand-delivered an initial letter to NACAC president Neville 'Teddy' McCook inviting Jamaica to engage in a home-and-away series in 2009 that would pit the two nations' sprinters and hurdlers against each other in head-to-head, team-scored competition.
The letter to McCook indicated that the meets would feature male and female athletes in the 100, 200 and 400 metres; 100/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles; long jump and the 4x100, 4x400 and sprint medley relays. The dates of the potential challenge meets are proposed for May and June.
"We're very clear that we would not be having any meet this year that would challenge the Jamaica Invitational Meet (set for May 2) in terms of our ability to organise two such competitions around the same time in Jamaica. We wouldn't be happy with that. If there is some other way to accommodate it we're prepared to discuss that with USA Track and Field later on this week," Aris explained.
Quizzed as to whether the meets could be arranged at the Jamaica International Invitational on May 2, Aris replied: "Their concept would not allow the Jamaica Invitational to be the event. I don't know what are the constraints regarding an Area Permit Meet, but maybe one or two races could be designated 'USA versus Jamaica' as we do at Penn Relays.
That's something that we're prepared to look at provided it does not violate the Area Permit status that we now have with the IAAF."
In the meantime, Aris re-affirmed that the JAAA's remains committed to any event that will ultimately help in the development of the country's athletics.
"We must be satisfied that we will also benefit from such an event both in terms of the costs to us as well as the type of athletes that we'll be able to provide to this competition," he said.
"If we can have a point of convergence where we benefit and the USA benefits, then we can proceed," Aris noted, adding that USATF is contemplating a major city on the East Coast for their leg of the home-and-away series.
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