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Remembering sport at election time
Saturday, September 01, 2007
It is usually easy at election time to forget sport and its relevance to national development.
It is not so easy this time around because of the effect of Jamaica's successes on the track at the 11th IAAF World Championships of Athletics in Osaka, Japan.
The triumph of Jamaica's athletes and even their failures in Osaka have again reminded of the importance of sport to our national psyche. Miss Veronica Campbell's sensational gold medal run in the 100 metres for women left us hugging ourselves with pride grounded in our Jamaican identity.
On the other hand, when Mr Asafa Powell delivered bronze and not gold as we had demanded, many of us felt he had somehow let down the country. Of course, he is only human, and it is human to fall short. But the national response, including the very positive suggestion by this newspaper, in this space, for a special effort to strengthen the mental and psychological state of our athletes reflects the kind of value Jamaicans attach to sports.
It's almost a decade since the Reggae Boyz in late 1997 qualified for the 1998 FIFA Football World Cup in France, but most of us remember vividly the sense of patriotism and national fervour that embraced the land in the immediate aftermath. We recall the drop in crime during the days after - attributable, many said, to the sense of goodwill, pride and joy triggered by the Reggae Boyz's success. And months later when Jamaica famously overcame Japan 2-1 in their final game of the World Cup tournament, there was a grand sense of satisfaction.
Older West Indians at home and abroad readily recall the positive impact on their psyche as the West Indies cricket team ruled the world in the late 1970s, '80s and early to mid-'90s. The reverse is too often true today as the regional cricket team struggles to maintain any sort of consistency in an increasingly competitive world.
It is against all of that backdrop that this newspaper welcomes the stated intention by the two major political parties to stay focused on sport.
The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which has been out of political power for 18 years, has pledged in its manifesto to develop a five-year programme "for the construction of mini-stadiums in urban centres where such facilities do not now exist". The JLP says it will focus on the development of community sports facilities, including the compulsory building of playing fields "to prescribed specifications" in "new housing developments above a certain size". We say three cheers to that.
The People's National Party (PNP) administration - which has achieved a fair deal in the building of sports infrastructure over its long tenure - says the construction of the National Indoor Sports Centre, the multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny and the upgrading of Sabina Park "represent a clear commitment to establishing sports as more than a national pastime". The PNP has pledged in its manifesto to remain "committed to the development of sports as a critical tool for social transformation and promoting national pride". Again, we say, three cheers.
This newspaper feels confident that sport will be in good hands regardless of which party wins on Monday. We pledge to do our part in holding whoever wins to their word.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
It is usually easy at election time to forget sport and its relevance to national development.
It is not so easy this time around because of the effect of Jamaica's successes on the track at the 11th IAAF World Championships of Athletics in Osaka, Japan.
The triumph of Jamaica's athletes and even their failures in Osaka have again reminded of the importance of sport to our national psyche. Miss Veronica Campbell's sensational gold medal run in the 100 metres for women left us hugging ourselves with pride grounded in our Jamaican identity.
On the other hand, when Mr Asafa Powell delivered bronze and not gold as we had demanded, many of us felt he had somehow let down the country. Of course, he is only human, and it is human to fall short. But the national response, including the very positive suggestion by this newspaper, in this space, for a special effort to strengthen the mental and psychological state of our athletes reflects the kind of value Jamaicans attach to sports.
It's almost a decade since the Reggae Boyz in late 1997 qualified for the 1998 FIFA Football World Cup in France, but most of us remember vividly the sense of patriotism and national fervour that embraced the land in the immediate aftermath. We recall the drop in crime during the days after - attributable, many said, to the sense of goodwill, pride and joy triggered by the Reggae Boyz's success. And months later when Jamaica famously overcame Japan 2-1 in their final game of the World Cup tournament, there was a grand sense of satisfaction.
Older West Indians at home and abroad readily recall the positive impact on their psyche as the West Indies cricket team ruled the world in the late 1970s, '80s and early to mid-'90s. The reverse is too often true today as the regional cricket team struggles to maintain any sort of consistency in an increasingly competitive world.
It is against all of that backdrop that this newspaper welcomes the stated intention by the two major political parties to stay focused on sport.
The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which has been out of political power for 18 years, has pledged in its manifesto to develop a five-year programme "for the construction of mini-stadiums in urban centres where such facilities do not now exist". The JLP says it will focus on the development of community sports facilities, including the compulsory building of playing fields "to prescribed specifications" in "new housing developments above a certain size". We say three cheers to that.
The People's National Party (PNP) administration - which has achieved a fair deal in the building of sports infrastructure over its long tenure - says the construction of the National Indoor Sports Centre, the multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny and the upgrading of Sabina Park "represent a clear commitment to establishing sports as more than a national pastime". The PNP has pledged in its manifesto to remain "committed to the development of sports as a critical tool for social transformation and promoting national pride". Again, we say, three cheers.
This newspaper feels confident that sport will be in good hands regardless of which party wins on Monday. We pledge to do our part in holding whoever wins to their word.