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| Monday, September 05, 2011
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Editorial
We did well in Daegu, but...
Monday, September 05, 2011
Jamaica's world record victory in the men's 4x100m provided the perfect finish to the 13th IAAF World Athletic Championships in Daegu, South Korea yesterday.
In fact, that 37.04 seconds run by Messrs Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt, has contributed in large measure to our position that Jamaica emerged as the team of the games that gave as much pleasure as it did pain.
A week earlier, the entire nation, joined by millions of track and field fans across the world, let out a collective gasp, followed by dismay, when Mr Bolt false-started in the men's 100m final and thus was disqualified. The shock of the moment turned quickly to disappointment as we were all denied the opportunity to see our Jamaican sprint sensation defend his world title.
That Mr Blake was able to compete and beat the field after experiencing the trauma of seeing his training partner ejected from the race, speaks to his ability to focus and suggests that he is now a force to be reckoned with in international athletics.
But despite Mr Blake's brilliant performance, we had sensed a level of depression among the Jamaican people, especially after our athletes — who made it to the finals of almost all the events in which they competed — mined either silver or bronze medals.
That, however, is a natural reaction of humans spoiled by success. After all, our athletes dominated the sprint events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China taking home 11 medals (six gold, three silver and two bronze), and the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany with a total of 13 medals (seven gold, four silver and two bronze).
What we all need to accept, however, is that the Jamaican contingent did well in Daegu, as their nine medals (four gold, four silver and one bronze) placed the island fourth of 33 countries on the medal table.
We also must accept that the competition at that level of international athletics is fierce, and the fact that our athletes entered most of the finals as favourites is testament to our status on the world stage.
Against that background we must express our disappointment that our local track and field administrators did not fully utilise the template created for the team to Berlin.
We speak specifically of the nutritional needs of the athletes which was first highlighted by Mr Jermaine Gonzales during an interview on TVJ after he missed winning a bronze medal in the 400m by a whisker.
Since then, other members of the Jamaican delegation have voiced dissatisfaction with the quality and lack of variety of the food served at the athletes village.
The fact is that Jamaica is now a world power in athletics, therefore our teams should not be allowed to compete in these games without all the support services that will ensure their best performance.
In other words, athletics is big business and our administrators should treat it as such, giving serious management to even the most minute detail.
That, we submit, also includes inculcating in our athletes a sense of appreciation for our national emblems, particularly the National Anthem, at all times.
For the most part, all our athletes who won gold displayed the requisite respect for the Anthem while it was being played at the medal ceremonies. However, we found the antics of Mr Blake and, to a lesser extent Mr Bolt, during the medal ceremony for the 4x100m relay disappointing.
The playing of the Anthem is a moment of national pride. It should not be disturbed or belittled by gimmickry.
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COMMENTS (4)
george watson
9/5/2011
Couldn't this criticism of Bolt and Blake be saved for another time, Mr. Editor? After all you are the first daily that I have ever seen editorialize so much on sports, especially when we have so much more pressing matters ----- like the economy.
I think if there is any fault to be laid here, the blame must be placed squarely on their mgmt team. Surely they are paid highly enough and it should be their duty to remind athletes that they should be as scrupulous as possible on the podium
fall mouth
9/5/2011
I was surprised to learn of the paltry sum paid to our medal winners in comparison to the potential tourism gains, especially to Jamaica.
In the meantime most of the tourists arriving on the cruise ships at Falmouth are whisked away to Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.
Couldn't tours to Bolt's hometown which is 10 miles away from Fallmouth be sold on the ships? I think this would make a vast economic difference to Fallmouth and Bolt's little village.
Over to you Mr. Minister of Tourism.
Jay Brown
9/5/2011
Our athletes will always do well on their own, our problem is always with management or lack thereof. For example we had a fairly large contingent or sports administrators as well as representation from the ministry.
At any point did one consider a nutritionist and a Chef , I am sure not why would we need these folks and therein lies our problem with management, they fail to think wide enough.
Too much people looking for a free ride on the back of our athletes.
Richie L
9/5/2011
Amen!
.
Richie
Other Stories
We did well in Daegu, but...
4 comments
The law of the global jungle
8 comments
The hallmark of champions
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If the National Anthem is worth anything...
4 comments
We hope that Mr Christopher 'Dudus' Coke will sing his heart out
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The sad truth that Jamaicans don't want to face
12 comments
Taming one of nature's most furious beasts
Mr Blake's glory and Mr Bolt's false start
20 comments
Speaking to the rich and super rich
7 comments
Unfortunate mixed messages or inept communication?
Best of luck to our men and women in Daegu; We share your pain, Asafa
6 comments
Herald's demise a sign of the times?
20 comments
UDC: Too much has been lost in translation
9 comments
Jamaican politicians neither read nor write
16 comments
Restoring Women's Centre budget is good thinking
1 comments
IMF cannot escape its responsibility
10 comments
The sad plight of Mr Steve Mullings tugs at the heart
3 comments
Remembering Marcus Mosiah Garvey
20 comments
Turning back the clock on our progress
15 comments
'Horse dead and crow fat'
[COLOR=#FFF ]View more videos [/COLOR]
Today's Cartoon
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| Monday, September 05, 2011
Kingston -
27°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
Montego Bay -
28°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
Negril -
28°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
Ocho Rios -
27°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
Spanish Town -
27°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
Port Antonio -
27°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
Black River -
28°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
Falmouth -
28°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
Christiana -
28°C -
Partly Cloudy
more
3Days8
Hours22
Minutes16
Seconds
Subscribe to our RSS Feeds Follow us on Twitter!Editorial
We did well in Daegu, but...
Monday, September 05, 2011
Jamaica's world record victory in the men's 4x100m provided the perfect finish to the 13th IAAF World Athletic Championships in Daegu, South Korea yesterday.
In fact, that 37.04 seconds run by Messrs Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt, has contributed in large measure to our position that Jamaica emerged as the team of the games that gave as much pleasure as it did pain.
A week earlier, the entire nation, joined by millions of track and field fans across the world, let out a collective gasp, followed by dismay, when Mr Bolt false-started in the men's 100m final and thus was disqualified. The shock of the moment turned quickly to disappointment as we were all denied the opportunity to see our Jamaican sprint sensation defend his world title.
That Mr Blake was able to compete and beat the field after experiencing the trauma of seeing his training partner ejected from the race, speaks to his ability to focus and suggests that he is now a force to be reckoned with in international athletics.
But despite Mr Blake's brilliant performance, we had sensed a level of depression among the Jamaican people, especially after our athletes — who made it to the finals of almost all the events in which they competed — mined either silver or bronze medals.
That, however, is a natural reaction of humans spoiled by success. After all, our athletes dominated the sprint events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China taking home 11 medals (six gold, three silver and two bronze), and the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany with a total of 13 medals (seven gold, four silver and two bronze).
What we all need to accept, however, is that the Jamaican contingent did well in Daegu, as their nine medals (four gold, four silver and one bronze) placed the island fourth of 33 countries on the medal table.
We also must accept that the competition at that level of international athletics is fierce, and the fact that our athletes entered most of the finals as favourites is testament to our status on the world stage.
Against that background we must express our disappointment that our local track and field administrators did not fully utilise the template created for the team to Berlin.
We speak specifically of the nutritional needs of the athletes which was first highlighted by Mr Jermaine Gonzales during an interview on TVJ after he missed winning a bronze medal in the 400m by a whisker.
Since then, other members of the Jamaican delegation have voiced dissatisfaction with the quality and lack of variety of the food served at the athletes village.
The fact is that Jamaica is now a world power in athletics, therefore our teams should not be allowed to compete in these games without all the support services that will ensure their best performance.
In other words, athletics is big business and our administrators should treat it as such, giving serious management to even the most minute detail.
That, we submit, also includes inculcating in our athletes a sense of appreciation for our national emblems, particularly the National Anthem, at all times.
For the most part, all our athletes who won gold displayed the requisite respect for the Anthem while it was being played at the medal ceremonies. However, we found the antics of Mr Blake and, to a lesser extent Mr Bolt, during the medal ceremony for the 4x100m relay disappointing.
The playing of the Anthem is a moment of national pride. It should not be disturbed or belittled by gimmickry.
POST A COMMENT
You must first register and then login to be able to post a comment.
HOUSE RULES
1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.
2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, and before commenting you need to register, conveniently, by clicking the link above.
Comment (required):
You have characters left.
Enter text seen above:
For information about privacy please read our Privacy Policy.
I have read and accepted the Terms and Conditions
COMMENTS (4)
george watson
9/5/2011
Couldn't this criticism of Bolt and Blake be saved for another time, Mr. Editor? After all you are the first daily that I have ever seen editorialize so much on sports, especially when we have so much more pressing matters ----- like the economy.
I think if there is any fault to be laid here, the blame must be placed squarely on their mgmt team. Surely they are paid highly enough and it should be their duty to remind athletes that they should be as scrupulous as possible on the podium
fall mouth
9/5/2011
I was surprised to learn of the paltry sum paid to our medal winners in comparison to the potential tourism gains, especially to Jamaica.
In the meantime most of the tourists arriving on the cruise ships at Falmouth are whisked away to Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.
Couldn't tours to Bolt's hometown which is 10 miles away from Fallmouth be sold on the ships? I think this would make a vast economic difference to Fallmouth and Bolt's little village.
Over to you Mr. Minister of Tourism.
Jay Brown
9/5/2011
Our athletes will always do well on their own, our problem is always with management or lack thereof. For example we had a fairly large contingent or sports administrators as well as representation from the ministry.
At any point did one consider a nutritionist and a Chef , I am sure not why would we need these folks and therein lies our problem with management, they fail to think wide enough.
Too much people looking for a free ride on the back of our athletes.
Richie L
9/5/2011
Amen!
.
Richie
Other Stories
We did well in Daegu, but...
4 commentsThe law of the global jungle
8 commentsThe hallmark of champions
8 commentsIf the National Anthem is worth anything...
4 commentsWe hope that Mr Christopher 'Dudus' Coke will sing his heart out
18 commentsThe sad truth that Jamaicans don't want to face
12 commentsTaming one of nature's most furious beasts
Mr Blake's glory and Mr Bolt's false start
20 commentsSpeaking to the rich and super rich
7 commentsUnfortunate mixed messages or inept communication?
Best of luck to our men and women in Daegu; We share your pain, Asafa
6 commentsHerald's demise a sign of the times?
20 commentsUDC: Too much has been lost in translation
9 commentsJamaican politicians neither read nor write
16 commentsRestoring Women's Centre budget is good thinking
1 commentsIMF cannot escape its responsibility
10 commentsThe sad plight of Mr Steve Mullings tugs at the heart
3 commentsRemembering Marcus Mosiah Garvey
20 commentsTurning back the clock on our progress
15 comments'Horse dead and crow fat'
[COLOR=#FFF ]View more videos [/COLOR]
Today's Cartoon
Poll
How much did you/will you spend on back-to-school shopping (excluding school fees)?
Less than $10,000 $10,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $60,000 More than $60,000
View Results
Username: Password:
Videos