SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — While there were no contingencies in place between the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) and their sponsors for the national high schools athletics championships (Champs) being cancelled, all parties have worked out a framework in which costs that were incurred before the plug was pulled are to be covered.

Additionally, funds that were “earned” could also go towards paying for other sporting events that were either not sponsored or did not generate enough sponsorship, ISSA President Keith Wellington told the Jamaica Observer this week.

A month ago ISSA had taken a wait and see approach as to whether the sporting events that had started before the season and the school term were going to be put on hold in mid-March, and an announcement of whether they would continue is still to be taken.

ISSA would have spent between $10 and 15 million in preparation for the annual five-day championships that was cancelled a day before the official media launch due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Wellington said they would not be left holding the bag, as they were able to work things out with the sponsors.

“In terms of the arrangements with sponsors, we were expected to deliver a championship – excepting for force majeure– but there were no arrangements with sponsors as to how these costs would be taken care of if the event did not happen,” Wellington said..

“We would have had subsequent discussions and, for the most part, we have been able to come to an understanding as to how these costs would be covered as well as some arrangements regarding funding that we would have lost because we had no Champs,” he added

“We have an understanding that there is an arrangement that will suggest that we will have some money that we may have earned, even though we did not have Champs. But that would be monies that we would be targeting to cover those costs that we incurred, plus to assist other sports that we normally depend on the money from Champs to cover, like volleyball, netball and basketball,” the ISSA boss went on.

Among the costs that had been incurred, Wellington said, were those related to tickets, the official magazine, and arrangements for the launch.

“We had incurred some costs; there were some costs that we had already expended on, for example tickets,” Wellington noted.