The call for Jamaica to devise ways to maximise the financial potential from the success of its track and field athletes on the world stage has again been trumpeted by one major stakeholder.

The University of Technology (UTech), a long established breeding and nurturing ground for some of the nation’s top athletes past and present, is spearheading an elaborate plan that could see brand Jamaica getting “its piece of the pie” from next year’s Summer Olympic Games in London.

Project director of UTech’s Road to Olympic Glory marketing campaign, Jacqueline Knight-Campbell, was not lacking in passion or persuasion when she sought to sell the university’s lofty plans to an army of reporters and editors at the weekly Monday Exchange at the Observer’s headquarters yesterday.

She called for the media, corporate Jamaica and government to partner with UTech in marketing its athletics legacy, and to find viable avenues for Jamaica to cash-in on the success of its athletes.

“It’s a major thrust towards raising brand recognition locally and worldwide… it’s (also) an image building exercise, fund-raising exercise and engaging partnership,” she said of the UTech thrust.

“We want to engage and sensitise corporate entities in Jamaica to come on board and be a part of working with UTech as a successful institution, we want our media houses to look at the opportunities that currently exist, how can you work with us to tell the story, make the headline and let Jamaicans know about this wonderful product that Jamaica has,” Knight-Campbell said.

She repeated the established fact that brand Jamaica is a high-value product, but rued that other countries have been quicker out of the blocks in developing strategies to profit from it.

“Olympic 2012 is making the headlines with brand Jamaica… there is significant value to our brand, the product which is the athletes and the successes they have achieved, and how do we now connect the dots with the success of this great Jamaican product with UTech, and that is part of our thrust,” she argued.

Knight-Campbell believes that neither Jamaica nor UTech was able to take full advantage of the successes of its athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and World Championships in Berlin a year later, where the country’s track athletes dominated in unprecedented ways.

“We are not missing the boat this time, our marketing effort is very tall. What did UTech do with all of this great success? We recognise that accomplishments have been made and we are proud that our university can boast a world-class reputation, but how can we get a piece of the pie so that UTech can benefit?” she asked.

UTech is the home base of the Bruce James-led MVP Track and Field Club, which has in its ranks World and Olympic champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Melaine Walker and former world 100m record holder Asafa Powell, among others.

“This relationship has now strengthened with MVP and their 10-year anniversary with us, and as we move into the next decade we are saying ‘when you negotiate your deals with the athletes, let’s get a percentage’, and that will help our sport development fund,” she added.

Knight-Campbell suggested that in the very same way that Puma has been able to turn hundreds of millions of dollars off Jamaica’s mercurial star, World and Olympic champion and record holder at both sprints, Usain Bolt, UTech and Jamaica should be able to do likewise.

“What does that say about Jamaican companies, other companies and UTech and how do we become a multi-million dollar successful university as a result of the value of these athletes?

“We need to get the ball as a country going, let’s not wait until next year when the world will run away with the legacy of our country, so we need to capitalise on it very early,” urged Knight-Campbell.