Tweet
Double Olympic champion and World record holder Usain Bolt, and Olympic 200m bronze medallist Warren Weir are expected to arrive in Moscow on Sunday, six days before the start of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships of Athletics.
A number of Jamaica's athletes and officials are already in Moscow for a training camp ahead of the August 10-18 championships, but despite Bolt's seemingly delayed arrival to the group, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association Dr Warren Blake, underlined that there was a compromise this time around.
Blake, who left the island yesterday en route to the Russian city, told The Gleaner that difficulties in securing a base for the camp and the last-minute nature of those confirmations meant it would have been unreasonable for the JAAA to demand that athletes arrive at a specific time.
"Because we were not able to confirm the details of the training months in advance, we understand that the clubs and managers could have difficulties putting everything in place in time for their athletes to arrive at a particular point," Blake said.
"The camp is not entirely mandatory, we had some issues with the venue and so we didn't want to be unreasonable because the clubs did not have enough time to make their preparations," Blake continued. "Put it this way, we want everyone to come in for five or so days with the team, but we are not holding a hard line on it."
The Jamaicans will train at the competition venue, the Luzhniki Stadium.
"We were having problems securing a venue for a camp and the Local Organising Committee stepped in and helped us, so for the camp we will train at the competition venue and, of course, stay at the hotel that we are staying at during the championships."
Facilitate practice
Blake was quick to point out that the athletes listed in the relay pool were asked to arrive in Moscow "five or six days" before the start of the championships to facilitate practice.
"We just stressed to the athletes that they need to come in early enough to practise the relays," Blake outlined.
The JAAA on Monday named a 45-member team to the World Championships, headed by Bolt and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Jamaica won nine medals (four gold, four silver, one bronze) at the last IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in 2011.
- André Lowe
A number of Jamaica's athletes and officials are already in Moscow for a training camp ahead of the August 10-18 championships, but despite Bolt's seemingly delayed arrival to the group, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association Dr Warren Blake, underlined that there was a compromise this time around.
Blake, who left the island yesterday en route to the Russian city, told The Gleaner that difficulties in securing a base for the camp and the last-minute nature of those confirmations meant it would have been unreasonable for the JAAA to demand that athletes arrive at a specific time.
"Because we were not able to confirm the details of the training months in advance, we understand that the clubs and managers could have difficulties putting everything in place in time for their athletes to arrive at a particular point," Blake said.
"The camp is not entirely mandatory, we had some issues with the venue and so we didn't want to be unreasonable because the clubs did not have enough time to make their preparations," Blake continued. "Put it this way, we want everyone to come in for five or so days with the team, but we are not holding a hard line on it."
The Jamaicans will train at the competition venue, the Luzhniki Stadium.
"We were having problems securing a venue for a camp and the Local Organising Committee stepped in and helped us, so for the camp we will train at the competition venue and, of course, stay at the hotel that we are staying at during the championships."
Facilitate practice
Blake was quick to point out that the athletes listed in the relay pool were asked to arrive in Moscow "five or six days" before the start of the championships to facilitate practice.
"We just stressed to the athletes that they need to come in early enough to practise the relays," Blake outlined.
The JAAA on Monday named a 45-member team to the World Championships, headed by Bolt and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Jamaica won nine medals (four gold, four silver, one bronze) at the last IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in 2011.
- André Lowe
Comment