UP to late Tuesday there was uncertainty over the fate of three of the four regional high school track and field championships from which athletes would qualify for the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships set to start in just over five weeks’ time.

Following Saturday’s staging of the Corporate Area Championships at National Stadium, plans were well-advanced for the staging of the other three championships before news broke late Monday that these would not be allowed to go on as permission had not been granted under the Disaster Risk Management Act for them to be hosted.

Jullett Fraser-Sadaar, chairperson of the Eastern Champs organising committee, told the Jamaica Observer she was optimistic that a solution would be found for all three events to be held.

“We are all interdependent — ISSA and the regional groups — and at the end of the day it is in the best interest of all not to exclude anyone,” she said.

Orette Wallace of the Central Champs planning committee said logistics would have prevented all four regional meets being held in the same week and said they have gone through the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) to ask for an extension.

Track and field competitions were allowed to resume in late February but under strict COVID-19 protocols and with permission from various government agencies, including the ministries of health and wellness, sports, local government and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

A schedule that saw three weekends of meets organised by the JAAA was published with a week set for the staging of the regional championships between March 14 and 20, but because the three events fell outside of the period they were not included in the agreement.

Organisers of the Eastern, Central and Western Championships all expressed disappointment over the announcement that was made late Monday night, less than 12 hours before Eastern Champs was due to start at National Stadium.

Central Championships was set for G C Foster College on Thursday and Friday, and Western Champs at St Elizabeth Technical High School Sports Complex next Wednesday, March 31 — but up to Tuesday the organisers were unsure what the next step would be.

Fraser-Sadaar, Wallace and Stephen Smith of Western Champs all agreed the decision was unfortunate but were all optimistic that the championships would go on and the young athletes would get the opportunity to compete after months of training and preparation.

This year, due to the effect of the coronavirus pandemic, ISSA had changed the qualification system for Champs by facilitating the top two in each competition, with the exception of the throwing events, qualifying automatically for Champs and permitting the other qualifiers advancing by time or measurement.

Garth Gayle, president of the JAAA and Keith Wellington, president of ISSA, were unable to comment on the situation and the Observer understands they had been involved in meetings, some of which had to do with the situation.

Wallace, who is also the principal of Foga Road High, said they were hoping to have the event as it would be a dry run for Champs during which they could practise the protocols.

He said they had just completed a preparation meeting on Monday night when they got the news, and said Tuesday morning he had to stop sponsors putting up advertising banners at G C Foster in preparation for their meet.

“Some of our athletes have not even had the chance to qualify for Champs, and as administrators we were at the heights of preparations,” he said. “The athletes, coaches and managers are all disappointed.”

Fraser-Sadaar was disappointed for the athletes.

“This was their moment, their time to shine, especially here in the east where resources are limited and sacrifices are made,” she noted.