Jamaicans are celebrating a new image of their country inscribed in gold and silver by the amazing, record-breaking victories of their athletes at the Beijing Olympics.

RICKY SINGH

Too long burdened with the horrible reputation of a "killing field" for armed criminals, Jamaica has now skyrocketed into international fame as a world power in track and field.

Usain 'Lightning' Bolt has suddenly become a name to remember across continents as the world's new fastest runner, secured with gold medals for his stunning record performances in the 100 and 200 metres.

What positive vibes, what inspiration he and the courageous, talented quartet of record-breaking female athletes Veronica Campbell-Brown, Kerron Stewart, Shelly-Ann Fraser, and Melaine Walker have brought to more than the citizens of this Caribbean nation long depressed by the vicious, bloody face of criminality.

The notoriety of the criminal enterprise, the gunmen, the violence of drugs-related gangs that are so much regular features of local/regional media reports, have been forced out of the headlines in favour of showcasing what this nation is capable of achieving when ordinary Jamaicans discipline themselves and prepare to take on the world at the Olympic Games.

Traditionally, the Caribbean country to have most dominated the gold and silver medal row of winners at the Olympics has been Cuba with Jamaica and, to a lesser extent Trinidad and Tobago also doing well. For the 2008 Olympic Games Jamaican athletes have to date proven to be the major medal winners of the Greater Caribbean.   

Caricom's Secretary General Edwin Carrington may well have expressed a regionwide sentiment when in extending congratulations last Wednesday to Usain Bolt, he said:
"The Community takes great pride in this feat which underlines the capability of our region to compete with and surpass the best in the world..."

For his part, Prime Minister Bruce Golding, whose government has established a bipartisan national committee to plan celebrations and honours for the Jamaica heroes of the Beijing Olympics, was noting with pride in an official media statement:
"Our athletes continue to do well as they dominate the Beijing Olympic Games and demonstrate the indomitable Jamaican spirit. This drive to achieve is part of all of us as Jamaicans...

"That drive to be ahead of the pack has impacted on our 'Reggae Boyz' who drew one-all with Canada in their first World Cup-qualifying match. What an outstanding week this has been for Jamaica..."                       
                           
IN BOLT'S DEFENCE   

Outstanding indeed and all peoples of the Caribbean and the world salute the Jamaican achievements. As the Barbados Daily Nation had noted in its editorial of last Tuesday on "The World's Happiness with Jamaica":

"Dance and wave, all Jamaica. The world is smiling with you for the gold and silver medals won...These Olympic victories would have come as good therapy for a Caribbean Community state that has  for far too long been suffering the pain and shame of the hurtful, ugly image inflicted by the armed criminals, the drug dealers, gun-runners and the ferocious gangs..."

As assessed by the Nation, the achievements of the Jamaican athletes in Beijing 'would serve to remind the Caribbean and the world that located in this beautiful Caribbean land of Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and other famous icons, are sons and daughters capable of bursting onto the world stage with the stamina, the skills, the heroism to help bury the sickening image spawned by a degrading culture of drugs and guns..."

Meanwhile widening criticisms are emerging against the comment by the International Olympic Committee's President Jacques Rogge, for his public rebuke of Usain Bolt for what he considered poor, uncaring behaviour towards fellow athletes by failing to acknowledge their performances following his victories in both the 100 and 200 metre races.

Rogge feels that Bolt should have shaken hands with his competitors, in the spirit of the Games, instead of completely ignoring them.

However, Frankie Fredericks, head of the IOC's Athletes Commission, in defending Bolt's attitude as not being any deliberate attempt to snub his competitors, argues: "You can't tell a guy who has run 9.69 seconds how to react.

The former sprinter from Namibia has argued that it may also have been Bolt's way of expressing himself to say, I have done something no one else has done'."     

And at home, Jamaica's Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment Karl Samuda, in objecting to the Rogge's criticism of Bolt, said: "Bolt was simply reacting in a manner that is representative of the Jamaican spirit and culture.."

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