MINISTER in charge of sports in the Office of the Prime Minister Natalie Neita-Headley has challenged stakeholders in sports to do more to make Jamaica an athlete-friendly locale for sportsmen and women from home and abroad.

“We must… make Jamaica more athlete-friendly to our sportsmen and sportswomen so that they will live here and repatriate their overseas earnings here to bolster the economy,” said Neita-Headley.

The minister made the call during Friday’s event held by The Post and Telecommunications Department, at the Central Sorting Office, South Camp Road in St Andrew, to release five commemorative postage

stamps to honour some of the island’s athletes for their historic performances during 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

The stamps, each representing the value of $60.00 features nine of the country’s top athletes including world record holder in the 100 and 200 metres, Usain Bolt; 400 metre hurdles gold medallist Melaine Walker;

200 metres, gold medallist, Veronica Campbell-Brown; and 100 metres gold medallist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

Also featured on the stamps are Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart, who both earned silver medals in the 100 metres and the record-breaking 4×100 metres relay team of Usain Bolt, Michael Frater, Asafa Powell and Nesta Carter.

Jamaica Observer’s own Bryan Cummings was commended by the minister for allowing his photographs to be used to create the stamps. The minister in her address said not only was the occasion a special one but said there was need for greater efforts to be made to carry on the success and to have the country on a whole benefit even more from the legacy laid by the country’s athletes in various sporting events.

“At the end of the day, our aim is to transform Jamaica into one of the most engaged and most successful sporting nations in the world,” Neita-Headley said.

The minister was, however, adamant that if this is to be achieved greater effort must be made to package sports with other valuable Jamaican products as part of attempts to garner greater earnings out of sports tourism.

“Already we are getting athletes from as far away as Australia coming here to train, but we must create and expand the technical facilities that these athletes expect and we must target the countries from whence athletes regularly travel to warmer climates in the winter months to continue outdoor training,” Neita-Headley noted.

The minister made the call as part of a wider request for stakeholders to strive to use sports as a springboard to economic success in the country.

Postmaster General Michael Gentles, in his address said the stamps are being made available to the public as collectors’ items and will serve as useful tools to preserve Jamaica’s heritage.

Opposition spokesperson for sports Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange and president of the Jamaica Olympic Association Mike Fennell also commended the move.

Meanwhile, two of the athletes featured on the stamps, Simpson and Carter, said they were proud to be part of the occasion.

“I am feeling very proud to be part of this occasion; to know that the work is recognised in such a manner makes me feel very happy,”

said Simpson.

Carter said “it was a great  feeling” that he and fellow athletes are being recognised in such a special way.

— KIMMO MATTHEWS