Wehby weighs in on Rodgers displaying Ugandan flag after 5,000m win
Don Wehby, the CEO of Champs title sponsors GraceKennedy Group, was not in total agreement when Kingston College (KC) Ugandan athlete Aryamanya Rodgers wrapped himself in his country’s flag after winning the 5,000m Open in impressive fashion.
Sixteen-year-old Rodgers, a Class Two competitor, destroyed the field, including much older boys, by a wide margin in 15:07.58 minutes. His teammate Shane Buchanan was second in 15:20.94 minutes.
During Rodgers’ victory celebration, the KC fans gave him a Ugandan flag and he duly revelled in the historic moment with the yellow, red and black flag draped around him.
However, Rodgers’s action was not viewed well by some patrons and the Jamaica Observer sought a response from the title sponsors through their Chief Executive Officer Wehby.
“If it was me, I would not have showed the flag at that time. It’s really KC and Calabar; I would have displayed the KC flag,” said Wehby.
“But I am sure he will learn going in the future. I heard a lot of people being very concerned about it. But you have to forgive, he is a child. But I would not have done it,” he noted.
Wehby, who won the Class Three 110m hurdles in 14.4 seconds at the 1978 championships while representing St George’s College, said fans must not be too harsh on Rodgers, however.
“You have to be careful how you come down hard on the youths of the country. So I would just put it down as a learning experience,” said Wehby, who also captured silver in both the 110m hurdles and the 400m hurdles in 1982.
“If it was me, I would have shown the KC flag because that’s really who you are representing, not your country, at that meet. But I am sure he will get the opportunity based on his class to show his country’s flag,” he pointed out.
Rodgers was controversially allowed to represent KC at this year’s edition of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships after arriving in the island on October 16, 2016, missing the school’s registration deadline of September 30. But the ISSA execuive of 15 principals voted for him to participate, citing extenuating circumstances.
