We too are saddened by the mishap which led to the last place finish by defending Olympic champion, Mr Omar McLeod in the men’s 110 metres hurdles final at last weekend’s Jamaica’s National Junior and Senior Athletics Championships.

Yet, we must urge those calling for his automatic inclusion as one of three Jamaicans to face the starter at the Tokyo Games later this month to be fair and level-headed in their thinking.

Mr McLeod, on his day, is the best sprint hurdler that Jamaica has. He is, perhaps, the best in the world, on form and ability. However, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association has rules governing the championships, which must prevail over sentimental feelings.

The rules stipulate that the first three to the finish line, providing that the individuals meet the basic Olympic-qualifying time, would be automatic selections to the Games, unless there are other issues involved, such as medical exemptions for injuries and indiscipline.

Mr McLeod ran in the semi-finals of the event last Saturday evening and qualified for the final the following morning. He was off to a decent start, but hit the first hurdle which threw him off, and he went on to place eighth and last in the event.

Mr McLeod has since said that he had been suffering from cramps before the start of the race, something we dare say should have been reported to officials at that point, and maybe he could have, on the spot, sought an emergency medical exemption.

So, unless one of Messrs Ronald Levy, Damion Thomas, and Hansle Parchment who placed first to third, in that order, suffers, God forbid, some kind of mishap, or one of them decides to opt out for another reason, sadly there is no place for Mr McLeod, even if it is felt that he would have repeated his Olympic feat.

We need not belabour the danger of abandoning rules when they are inconvenient.

MR GEORGE WRIGHT VS MR MATT HANCOCK

Jamaica has, over the years, grown accustomed to the British system that governed this nation for over a century.

Now, far away in the motherland, Conservative Health Secretary Matt Hancock quit his job because he was photographed kissing a colleague — a breach of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

That came even after it is known that he and the other participant in the salivary showcase, Ms Gina Coladangelo, were involved in a romantic affair, following the breakdown of both their marriages.

At home, the curious situation that involves Mr George Wright, the Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Central, remains a sideshow.

The allegations are still fresh — of a man beating a woman, implements involved. Initial police reports were filed, yet the curtains came down at that point when both decided not to pursue the matter further.

But, strange enough, even though Mr Wright’s name was mentioned as possibly being one of the feuding duo, he has still not corroborated such a claim, nor has he denied it. Yet, lo and behold, as the grapevine becomes more fertile, Mr Wright has resigned as a member of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, we are told, yet remains a part of the legislature.

We are still under the cloak of neo-colonialism, but, oh, how we wish that Mr Wright would rip a leaf from Mr Hancock’s book and do the natural thing.

We continue to wait.