Plans are afoot to send a Jamaican team to the fifth staging of the World Athletics Relays in Poland next month, using athletes that are proven and in form as the criteria for selection.

Maurice Wilson, Jamaica’s technical leader, told the Jamaica Observer that the island will be entering all the sprint relays from 4x100m to 4x400m.

“What will be used are persons who have a proven track record, for example, those who would have been in the top 20 in the world and would have ran on the last World Relays team,” said Wilson.

He continued: “Those who have shown current form between last year and this year. That is the criteria.”

The much-loved two-day relays festival will take place between May 1-2 and Jamaica is expected to be one of 150 countries set to participate.

The first three editions were hosted by The Bahamas in 2014, 2015 and 2017 with Japan playing host in 2019.

At the last edition in Japan, Jamaica failed to win an event but finished second in the points table with 27 points, the same as third-placed Japan. The United States of America dominated with 54 points.

Jamaica has finished second in the points standing to the United States of America in each of the four editions and is expected to send another strong team.

Jamaica was the next best bet to host the 2019 event, but the island also failed to provide the financial guarantee budget of US$7 million to the ruling International Association Athletics Federations (IAAF).