CHAIRMAN of the Gibson/McCook Relays Organising Committee Professor Rainford Wilks has made a special appeal to the participating schools to field their best athletes on the day.

“We understand that coaches and others must manage the athletes carefully, and we share their concern for the welfare of the athletes and the future of athletics on the national scale. Notwithstanding, we look forward to your best possible support for this, the premier pre-high schools championship event,” said Wilks at the launch of the 43rd staging of the meet at Knutsford Court Hotel on Thursday.

After staying away from the Gibson/McCook Relays due to “scheduling conflicts” last year, Calabar High School look set for a return to the nation’s top relay carnival this year.

The return of Calabar, champions of the 2018 ISSA Boys’ Athletics Championships, means that fans will likely get to see star sprinters such as Christopher Taylor, Michael Stephens and Dejour Russell grace the track on Saturday, February 23.

This is sure to be a treat for track and field fans, as they get to see the matchups between rivals Calabar and Kingston College once more.

Another important revelation made by Wilks is the introduction of prize money to record-breakers in designated championship events.

In previous years there was no prize money offered by the meet organisers, but last year, communications sponsors Digicel introduced a $150,000 prize for the performance of the meet which went to Zarnel Hughes for his performance in the Men’s 100m. The best-performing boys and girls’ schools overall also received a prize of $100,000 each.

This year, record breakers in championship events will collect $75,000 each for their efforts, something that is sure to catch the attention of coaches of the various schools entered for the relays.

While acknowledging that the space for development meets ahead of the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships is a lot more crowded than when the meet started in 1973, Wilks says that the Gibson/McCook Relays still holds pride of place.

“We recognise that the market for athletics in Jamaica has changed significantly since 1973 and there are now many track meets prior to the high schools’ championships. Nevertheless, we hold the view that the Gibson/McCook Relays hold a special place in the Jamaica track and field athletics enterprise, and it should be preserved and nurtured,” he said.

Michael Olivier, a name known to many in local track and field circles, will be taking a 4x800m team from St Vincent and the Grenadines to participate in this year’s relays. Olivier, who once coached in Jamaica, has promised that his team is not coming simply to participate, but is coming to win.

There was an attempt to increase the excitement for the fans by introducing a mixed 4x400m for Institutions, but due to a lack of sufficient entries the race has had to be scrapped. The organisers have promised to make another attempt at adding the race next year.

As usual, the Howard Aries Lecture will be held this year at the University of Technology on the Wednesday prior to the meet. The guest speaker at the lecture will be Olympian Dr Gregory Haughton, who participated in the relays during his athletic career.