KINGSTON, Jamaica – Dr Warren Blake, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), the governing body for track and field athletics in the country, has lashed out against the decision to cancel the 2020 version of the ISSA National Boys and Girls High School Track and Field Championships.

Dr Blake, who is also a veteran medical practitioner with over 40 years of service, said the decision to cancel the March 24-28 track and field  event was made more out of economics as all the stakeholders were not consulted and their opinions weighed along with others.

On Wednesday the decision to call off the event was announced after a series of meetings between the Inter-Secondary Sports Association (ISSA), the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, a decision that Dr Blake said was not the best one.

“Unfortunately the decision to cancel Champs is more of an economic decision rather than one taking in to account any other stakeholder positions and this is why all stakeholders should have been consulted before such a far-reaching decision was taken,” he said. The JAAA was never consulted, Dr Blake told the Jamaica Observer in an interview on Thursday, describing it as disrespectful, “to make a decision like this without even the parent body of the sport being involved.”

Additionally, Blake, who made suggestions as to how the world’s largest high school track and field championships could be held without compromising public health and safety, also accused the Government of putting economics ahead of public safety with the refusal to put travel restrictions in place for the United Kingdom and the United States.