The Jamaica International Invitational (JII) Meet is on the verge of becoming a Diamond League event, but is in need of a serious cash injection.

The meet, in its 14th year, was upgraded from an Area Permit Meet to an IAAF World Challenge Meet a few years ago and both the JAAA’s president Dr Warren Blake and JII meet director, Don Quarrie, revealed that the next step to Diamond League status is just around the corner.Quarrie, who is also the athletes’ liaison, said in 2010 when the IAAF decided to have Diamond League and World Challenge meets, the then JAAA’s president Howard Aris, argued that Jamaica had a fantastic event here worthy of hosting the best.“We applied, immediately it was branded and ever since it has been ranked so high and all we really need is the money,” said Quarrie, who was Jamaica’s first Olympic 200m gold medallist in 1976.“The Diamond League needs prize monies a little over twice the amount of the World Challenge meet and you have to have that among other things. The stadium is being repaired now, but the finance is the real thing,” he added.Dr Blake, noted that the JII meet was started to provide Jamaica with high level competition to expose Jamaican athletes and public to the best the world has to offer.“Every year we seek to improve our spectator experience and we have grown steadily in importance ever since its inception. It has moved from an Area Permit meet and now is a World Challenge Meet, the only such meet in the Caribbean,” noted Dr Blake.“It is just one step below the Diamond League meet and the Diamond League organisers are now evaluating this meet with respect with us becoming a Diamond League (event) in the near future,” he added.Meanwhile, the “Starting Line”, the new location across from Devon House, will be the hub of activities between now and May 20. The JAAA office will be located there and patrons can purchase tickets at the location.There will also be live entertainment leading up to the event and on Wednesday D’Angell, Chi Chi Ching, Alaine and Zagga all performed. The night before the event, there will be a meet and greet with the athletes and sponsors.Two cheques of $5 million each were handed over to the JAAA by sponsors Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica and Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority.— Howard Walker