THERE will be a number of fundamental changes to the Carifta Games track and field championships, following ratification at last weekend’s congress held in The Bahamas.

In what was described by Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s (JAAA) General Secretary Garth Gayle as a victory for common sense, according to track and field website trackalerts.com, the maximum number of athletes each team can enter for the three-day championships was raised by 10 from the present 70 to 80, and will be enforced as of next year’s event to be held in Martinique.

The motion was passed by a narrow margin of 11-8 at the congress held at the Breezes hotel, but for years, a number of track and field administrators led by Jamaicans have clamuored for the increase in the size of the delegations.

Other significant changes made include the raising of the lower age group from Under-17 to Under-18 to fall in line with the standards set by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) youth age group and which has been adopted by the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championship since last year.

Additionally, the 300m hurdles for Under-17 girls will be changed to the 400m to fall in line with the other age groups; the boys will do the octathlon, which is eight events, up from the heptathlon, which is seven events now, while the girls will do the heptathlon up from the present pentathlon.

As far back as two years ago, noted track and field administrator and coach Maurice Westney told the Jamaica Observer that the 70 athletes maximum hindered growth, specifically for the bigger countries like Jamaica.

The late Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, the former JAAA and North American and Caribbean Association (NACAC) boss, had also campaigned for the changes.

Westney, who was a part of the Jamaican technical delegation to the last Olympics Games held in London, England, reasoned that the championships had grown well past those restrictions. “The 70 number was in place when the championships started in 1972 and then we had just one age group; now they have added the lower age group plus a number of events have been added, so it makes sense to increase the number of athletes each team can enter.”

Twenty-three events were contested in the first staging in 1972 and it was increased incrementally to 34, 36, 39, 42, 48, 52, and to the present 66.

Gayle was also quoted as saying that with the new maximum number each team will be able to enter two athletes in each event.

The selection of the Jamaican team to the Carifta Games has also caused controversy each year with selectors defending their actions with the explanations that they are limited by the number of athletes allowed by the organisers and the restrictions on the lower age groups.