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Understanding Jamaica's impact in international sports
Sunday, January 12, 2014 2 Comments
A lightly edited version of former Prime Minister PJ Patterson's address to the RJR Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards ceremony last Friday night at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.
My allotted time would be exhausted were I to acknowledge all the distinguished honourees and guests who are present here.
As tonight is a celebration of excellence, I address you all as your excellencies!
Your foundation has invited me, within a severe time constraint, to provide "some understanding to the athletes, their managers, families and the national audience of the impact their global achievements have made on our country and the wider world".
Wow!
That is like asking a marathon runner to keep up with 'Lightning' Bolt's pace.
I begin with a Nesta Carter start by making a bold but incontrovertible assertion: There is no other country of comparable size and population that has produced the very best in so many areas of sports over such a long period of time.
Universal Suffrage had come to Jamaica only four years before Arthur Wint thundered past Herb McKenley in the 400 metre race to win Jamaica's first Gold medal at the 1948 Olympiad.
George Rhoden repeated that triumph in 1952, but what is indelibly etched in the memory of the Helsinki Games is the blistering third leg of Herb McKenley which enabled Jamaica to set a new 4 x 400 metre World Record, 10 years before we became Independent.
No one declared a public holiday, but my headmaster at morning chapel released us from all classes for the day.
George Headley
It cannot be denied that our first global sporting superstar was none other than George Headley, dubbed "Atlas".
His remarkable performances were for people of colour in the cricketing world and further afield, a source of inspiration in the struggle against the dogma of racial supremacy.
The Cause
Among the many theories advanced for our spectacular achievers in sports is the strong variant West African gene which accounts for fast twitch muscle fibres and high velocity power sprinting.
Others attribute our advantage to the effect of yam and green banana on the building of muscle and strength. But other countries have these also.
To my mind, it has everything to do with the Jamaican's sense of self and our refusal to be typecast. We refuse to see the brilliant blue waters that surround us as a barrier to hold us in, but rather as our connection to the wider world and all that is on offer beyond our shores.
The most recent example, of course, is the remarkable success of Tessanne Chin joining the ever-growing procession of Jamaicans who can truly claim the title of Number One against all comers in the field.
It is that irrepressible fighting spirit which pushes us into spheres where the world would least expect us to appear -- and stereotyping would suggest we do not belong -- such as our bobsled team, skiing in the Winter Games, equestrian competitions or dogsled racing.
Notice, I have not mentioned the sport of rifle-shooting.
Culture and Sports
The instant recognition of the country, Jamaica is of long vintage. Following the prophetic writings of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Bob Marley's name always stirs a positive vibration. After all, his album Exodus was voted by Time magazine as the best album of the 20th Century.
If our culture has been distinctive and alluring, our performance in a wide variety of sports has been the more spectacular. In 1998, when the Reggae Boyz qualified for the World Cup Finals we became the country of the smallest population size to ever do so.
The Sunshine Girls have repeatedly won renown for their agility and resilience on the netball courts.
From the days of Bunny Grant to the current WBA Featherweight title holder, Nicholas 'Axeman' Walters; Trevor Berbick and other sons of the soil, like Lloyd Honeyghan and Lennox Lewis, have used their hands as weapons of mass destruction in the ring.
The knockout of Donald Curry by Mike 'the Body Snatcher' McCallum is regarded as an all-time classic.
Our cricketing royalty includes Michael 'Whispering Death' Holding; Alfred Valentine and Ambassador Courtney Walsh. Chris Gayle's adulation by Indian crowds is now at a level previously reserved for their Princes.
[B]Athletics[B]
On this solid foundation is built Jamaica's mind-boggling domination on the track. We have been called the "sprint factory" and, in today's age of instant electronic communication we are, literally, universally acknowledged as an athletic super-power.
One African president, with whom I developed a strong personal comradeship would, whenever we met, ask first about my health and immediately after would always enquire about Merlene Ottey, a poster girl for track and field.
Don Quarrie is still regarded by many as the finest curve runner of all times (no disrespect, Dr Bolt).
Even the most grudging are now obliged to admit: Hon Usain St Leo Bolt is already a living legend and will remain so throughout the ages to come. He makes the news in every corner of the world.
When she came second at the National Championships in 2008, the name Shelly-Ann Fraser was known only to a very few. In Beijing, the 'Pocket Rocket' spoke with her feet "Follow back a me." In Moscow, she was awesome and the undisputed star.
For professional reasons, I will not speak tonight about the current situation of Veronica Campbell-Brown. But nothing can prevent us from recalling her glorious career and a haul of 16 Olympic and World Championship medals.
Promoting Brand Jamaica
Our sportsmen and sportswomen have been a treasure of inestimable value to our nation on the international stage. It is a major contributor to the cachet which we now enjoy worldwide and a positive branding for our exports.
In the search to attract visitors and foreign investors to our shores, they create a priceless, positive image of our vibrancy as a country. No sales or marketing programme, however many millions of dollars we spend, can match the value of the positive publicity which they generate.
When we "tun up de ting" in the sprint races and relays, it is difficult for some former superstars and elitist officials to accept the clear ascendancy of the current generation of prodigies, notwithstanding the past exploits of Lennox Miller, Keith Gardener, Dennis Johnson, Grace Jackson, Juliet Cuthbert, Raymond Stewart, Bert Cameron, Winthrop Graham, Deon Hemmings, Bridgette Foster-Hylton, et al. They paved the way for the current generation of prodigies.
No human being has more sub-10 seconds 100 metre runs than Asafa Powell. Melaine Walker has been a class act.
When in Beijing Shelly-Ann, Keiron Stewart and Sherone Simpson stood on the victory podium, or Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Warren Weir caused three Jamaican flags to unfurl in London, we went beyond "enough is enough" to plainly being just "too much".
Not surprisingly, our remarkable run of success was bound to attract the envy and attack of rivals and detractors, now that we occupy their traditional domain.
Remember how Ben Johnson was reverted overnight to his Jamaican origins after Seoul?
Make no mistake about it, cheating, a deliberate act of commission or omission, cannot be tolerated or condoned. But everyone must be held to the same exacting standards -- not just the athletes, but the administrators equally.
Peter Tosh said it best: "If you live in a glass house, don't throw stones."
Responsibility
Those who hold high office in sports must realise that the athletes and players are our most precious asset. Players must receive continuing education about the hazards of drugs. When charged, they are entitled to have access to the best available defence.
I am delighted that Shelly-Ann has extended her championship status to boldly proclaim the legitimate expectations of those who engage in global competition.
Simultaneously, our authorities must fight for the establishment of a global regime which is equitable and non-discriminatory. Michael Fennell and Molly Rhone are formidable trailblazers in the Commonwealth and beyond. As we did in forging the enlightened and powerful Gleneagles Agreement, we must create alliances that make our presence felt and our voices heard.
We should not allow a new rule to creep by stealth and gain a foothold in our jurisprudence; ie, athletes, once charged, are then required to "prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt".
Many of our sports achievers are now actively engaged in community upliftment. We owe them a duty in return -- to ensure that Jamaicans abroad and those who travel overseas comport ourselves with befitting style so that we do not sully or besmirch the good name of our country and thereby embarrass our worthy champions at ports of entry.
The Creative Sector
Corporate Jamaica has been a constant source of sponsoring our athletes and financial support of sporting events. It is now high time for the private sector to aggressively pursue the entire value chain by treating sports and entertainment as serious business for sound, substantial investments of human and financial capital.
Let Jamaica be transformed to a Mecca where we showcase to the world our sporting skills and indigenous cultural talents, alongside our expanding hospitality trade and local attractions.
The development of a comprehensive national sports and festivals calendar of events to attract tourists and Jamaicans in the diaspora, along with local guests, is a potential goldmine.
I believe there is tremendous potential, yet untapped, to translate our admirable reputation into hard dollars and cents for the country as a whole.
What I have outlined here is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much that can be done to build on the solid reputation of our country which our sportsmen and sportswomen have created for us.
I challenge all the movers and shakers here to use the skills that you watch so keenly and the dedication that you so greatly admire in the fields of sport and music to spawn and foster a wider range of activities in which Jamaica has a sound competitive advantage.
2013
Although we cannot take our superiority for granted, there are positive signs that our glory days are by no means over.
Last year, 34 records were broken at school champs by boys and girls of exceptional talent -- the cradle since 1917 of our superstars.
In Ukraine, we topped the medal list at the International Youth Games -- six Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze.
* In the first Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament, Tallawah, the Jamaican franchise, emerged on top.
* Ms Stafanie Taylor revealed her all-rounder strength on the cricket field.
* Alia Atkinson has gained the spotlight for her speed in the swimming pool.
* Our paralympian, Alphanso Cunningham, brought home gold.
* Alicia Ashley has kept her super bantamweight crown.
* Last year, the male and female IAAF Champions came from 'the Rock'.
Congratulations
Finally, let me express my warm and sincere congratulations to the nominees.
I doubt whether there was any difficulty in choosing the sportsman and sportswoman of the past year.
But I will resist the temptation to "call it".
Whoever they are, we all know they were superb.
For the Sagicor Iconic Award and several others, the Selection Committee must have encountered considerable difficulty in choosing the eventual awardees.
But unlike political races, you are not only allowed to vote early, you have also been encouraged to vote as often as you can afford.
Whether or not you take one of the awards this evening you are all noble winners and worthy flag bearers who serve to lift our spirits and make us proud to be citizens of Jamaica, Jamaica land we love.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...ports_15761713
Sunday, January 12, 2014 2 Comments
A lightly edited version of former Prime Minister PJ Patterson's address to the RJR Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards ceremony last Friday night at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.
My allotted time would be exhausted were I to acknowledge all the distinguished honourees and guests who are present here.
As tonight is a celebration of excellence, I address you all as your excellencies!
Your foundation has invited me, within a severe time constraint, to provide "some understanding to the athletes, their managers, families and the national audience of the impact their global achievements have made on our country and the wider world".
Wow!
That is like asking a marathon runner to keep up with 'Lightning' Bolt's pace.
I begin with a Nesta Carter start by making a bold but incontrovertible assertion: There is no other country of comparable size and population that has produced the very best in so many areas of sports over such a long period of time.
Universal Suffrage had come to Jamaica only four years before Arthur Wint thundered past Herb McKenley in the 400 metre race to win Jamaica's first Gold medal at the 1948 Olympiad.
George Rhoden repeated that triumph in 1952, but what is indelibly etched in the memory of the Helsinki Games is the blistering third leg of Herb McKenley which enabled Jamaica to set a new 4 x 400 metre World Record, 10 years before we became Independent.
No one declared a public holiday, but my headmaster at morning chapel released us from all classes for the day.
George Headley
It cannot be denied that our first global sporting superstar was none other than George Headley, dubbed "Atlas".
His remarkable performances were for people of colour in the cricketing world and further afield, a source of inspiration in the struggle against the dogma of racial supremacy.
The Cause
Among the many theories advanced for our spectacular achievers in sports is the strong variant West African gene which accounts for fast twitch muscle fibres and high velocity power sprinting.
Others attribute our advantage to the effect of yam and green banana on the building of muscle and strength. But other countries have these also.
To my mind, it has everything to do with the Jamaican's sense of self and our refusal to be typecast. We refuse to see the brilliant blue waters that surround us as a barrier to hold us in, but rather as our connection to the wider world and all that is on offer beyond our shores.
The most recent example, of course, is the remarkable success of Tessanne Chin joining the ever-growing procession of Jamaicans who can truly claim the title of Number One against all comers in the field.
It is that irrepressible fighting spirit which pushes us into spheres where the world would least expect us to appear -- and stereotyping would suggest we do not belong -- such as our bobsled team, skiing in the Winter Games, equestrian competitions or dogsled racing.
Notice, I have not mentioned the sport of rifle-shooting.
Culture and Sports
The instant recognition of the country, Jamaica is of long vintage. Following the prophetic writings of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Bob Marley's name always stirs a positive vibration. After all, his album Exodus was voted by Time magazine as the best album of the 20th Century.
If our culture has been distinctive and alluring, our performance in a wide variety of sports has been the more spectacular. In 1998, when the Reggae Boyz qualified for the World Cup Finals we became the country of the smallest population size to ever do so.
The Sunshine Girls have repeatedly won renown for their agility and resilience on the netball courts.
From the days of Bunny Grant to the current WBA Featherweight title holder, Nicholas 'Axeman' Walters; Trevor Berbick and other sons of the soil, like Lloyd Honeyghan and Lennox Lewis, have used their hands as weapons of mass destruction in the ring.
The knockout of Donald Curry by Mike 'the Body Snatcher' McCallum is regarded as an all-time classic.
Our cricketing royalty includes Michael 'Whispering Death' Holding; Alfred Valentine and Ambassador Courtney Walsh. Chris Gayle's adulation by Indian crowds is now at a level previously reserved for their Princes.
[B]Athletics[B]
On this solid foundation is built Jamaica's mind-boggling domination on the track. We have been called the "sprint factory" and, in today's age of instant electronic communication we are, literally, universally acknowledged as an athletic super-power.
One African president, with whom I developed a strong personal comradeship would, whenever we met, ask first about my health and immediately after would always enquire about Merlene Ottey, a poster girl for track and field.
Don Quarrie is still regarded by many as the finest curve runner of all times (no disrespect, Dr Bolt).
Even the most grudging are now obliged to admit: Hon Usain St Leo Bolt is already a living legend and will remain so throughout the ages to come. He makes the news in every corner of the world.
When she came second at the National Championships in 2008, the name Shelly-Ann Fraser was known only to a very few. In Beijing, the 'Pocket Rocket' spoke with her feet "Follow back a me." In Moscow, she was awesome and the undisputed star.
For professional reasons, I will not speak tonight about the current situation of Veronica Campbell-Brown. But nothing can prevent us from recalling her glorious career and a haul of 16 Olympic and World Championship medals.
Promoting Brand Jamaica
Our sportsmen and sportswomen have been a treasure of inestimable value to our nation on the international stage. It is a major contributor to the cachet which we now enjoy worldwide and a positive branding for our exports.
In the search to attract visitors and foreign investors to our shores, they create a priceless, positive image of our vibrancy as a country. No sales or marketing programme, however many millions of dollars we spend, can match the value of the positive publicity which they generate.
When we "tun up de ting" in the sprint races and relays, it is difficult for some former superstars and elitist officials to accept the clear ascendancy of the current generation of prodigies, notwithstanding the past exploits of Lennox Miller, Keith Gardener, Dennis Johnson, Grace Jackson, Juliet Cuthbert, Raymond Stewart, Bert Cameron, Winthrop Graham, Deon Hemmings, Bridgette Foster-Hylton, et al. They paved the way for the current generation of prodigies.
No human being has more sub-10 seconds 100 metre runs than Asafa Powell. Melaine Walker has been a class act.
When in Beijing Shelly-Ann, Keiron Stewart and Sherone Simpson stood on the victory podium, or Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Warren Weir caused three Jamaican flags to unfurl in London, we went beyond "enough is enough" to plainly being just "too much".
Not surprisingly, our remarkable run of success was bound to attract the envy and attack of rivals and detractors, now that we occupy their traditional domain.
Remember how Ben Johnson was reverted overnight to his Jamaican origins after Seoul?
Make no mistake about it, cheating, a deliberate act of commission or omission, cannot be tolerated or condoned. But everyone must be held to the same exacting standards -- not just the athletes, but the administrators equally.
Peter Tosh said it best: "If you live in a glass house, don't throw stones."
Responsibility
Those who hold high office in sports must realise that the athletes and players are our most precious asset. Players must receive continuing education about the hazards of drugs. When charged, they are entitled to have access to the best available defence.
I am delighted that Shelly-Ann has extended her championship status to boldly proclaim the legitimate expectations of those who engage in global competition.
Simultaneously, our authorities must fight for the establishment of a global regime which is equitable and non-discriminatory. Michael Fennell and Molly Rhone are formidable trailblazers in the Commonwealth and beyond. As we did in forging the enlightened and powerful Gleneagles Agreement, we must create alliances that make our presence felt and our voices heard.
We should not allow a new rule to creep by stealth and gain a foothold in our jurisprudence; ie, athletes, once charged, are then required to "prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt".
Many of our sports achievers are now actively engaged in community upliftment. We owe them a duty in return -- to ensure that Jamaicans abroad and those who travel overseas comport ourselves with befitting style so that we do not sully or besmirch the good name of our country and thereby embarrass our worthy champions at ports of entry.
The Creative Sector
Corporate Jamaica has been a constant source of sponsoring our athletes and financial support of sporting events. It is now high time for the private sector to aggressively pursue the entire value chain by treating sports and entertainment as serious business for sound, substantial investments of human and financial capital.
Let Jamaica be transformed to a Mecca where we showcase to the world our sporting skills and indigenous cultural talents, alongside our expanding hospitality trade and local attractions.
The development of a comprehensive national sports and festivals calendar of events to attract tourists and Jamaicans in the diaspora, along with local guests, is a potential goldmine.
I believe there is tremendous potential, yet untapped, to translate our admirable reputation into hard dollars and cents for the country as a whole.
What I have outlined here is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much that can be done to build on the solid reputation of our country which our sportsmen and sportswomen have created for us.
I challenge all the movers and shakers here to use the skills that you watch so keenly and the dedication that you so greatly admire in the fields of sport and music to spawn and foster a wider range of activities in which Jamaica has a sound competitive advantage.
2013
Although we cannot take our superiority for granted, there are positive signs that our glory days are by no means over.
Last year, 34 records were broken at school champs by boys and girls of exceptional talent -- the cradle since 1917 of our superstars.
In Ukraine, we topped the medal list at the International Youth Games -- six Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze.
* In the first Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament, Tallawah, the Jamaican franchise, emerged on top.
* Ms Stafanie Taylor revealed her all-rounder strength on the cricket field.
* Alia Atkinson has gained the spotlight for her speed in the swimming pool.
* Our paralympian, Alphanso Cunningham, brought home gold.
* Alicia Ashley has kept her super bantamweight crown.
* Last year, the male and female IAAF Champions came from 'the Rock'.
Congratulations
Finally, let me express my warm and sincere congratulations to the nominees.
I doubt whether there was any difficulty in choosing the sportsman and sportswoman of the past year.
But I will resist the temptation to "call it".
Whoever they are, we all know they were superb.
For the Sagicor Iconic Award and several others, the Selection Committee must have encountered considerable difficulty in choosing the eventual awardees.
But unlike political races, you are not only allowed to vote early, you have also been encouraged to vote as often as you can afford.
Whether or not you take one of the awards this evening you are all noble winners and worthy flag bearers who serve to lift our spirits and make us proud to be citizens of Jamaica, Jamaica land we love.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...ports_15761713