No ultimatum on late-comers to J'can camp - Sport

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No ultimatum on late-comers to J'can camp

P Reid
Sunday, July 22, 2012

BIRMINGHAM, England — Jamaican team officials here have denied reports that an ultimatum has been served on several athletes who are yet to report to the Jamaican pre-Olympic training camp at the University of Birmingham in the English West Midlands.

Persistent rumours in both England and Jamaica had said the JAAA officials here have sent out warnings to athletes who are not taking part in competitions that they must turn up.

However, yesterday Ludlow Watts, athletics team manager for the London Olympics which starts in less than a week, told the Jamaica Observer no ultimatums had been served on any athlete.

He explained that some athletes had been allowed to take part in competitions all over Europe, but also pointed out that the camp had been going "very well".

The Sunday Observer has been unable to verify exactly how many of the 47 athletes selected for the Olympics are actually in camp as none of the athletes have been allowed access to the training sessions or in depth interviews with the management team.

It is understood, however, that several sprinters have stayed away from Birmingham and the very cool temperatures and rain, and have opted to remain in warmer climates to make final preparations for the Games that kick off on July 27, with the athletics segment set to start on August 3.

A number of the world's top sprinters as well as the Great Britain track team have opted to train elsewhere, fleeing the cold, rainy weather here.

The UK team is based at a training camp in Portugal, while the top American sprinters are in Spain where the weather is much warmer.