Frater calls for ‘athlete-centric’ philosophy as driver for sport
ROSE HALL, St James — Michael Frater has called on athletes to take control of their destiny as they seek to do their best and create a foundation for the next generation of athletes.
Frater, a much-decorated sprinter-turned-coach and chairman of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Athletes Commission, says the global sporting fraternity needs to become more “athlete-centric”, giving the athletes more say in their own destiny.
He was addressing Saturday’s ceremony in honour of the first visit to Jamaica by Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and hosted by the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall.
Frater, who is also a director of the JOA, said: “I call on my fellow athletes to take full responsibility of their destinies in sports — this is to be an inspiring example to just be the best versions of themselves. Today is historic, and us former athletes — and hopefully our future athletes — will know well the experience that comes with making historic performances which will ignite the world.”
He also called on the the “global sporting fraternity to hear the voices of our athletes as they speak into being golden and record-breaking performances which express and celebrate human strength, resilience, and purpose which will inspire the world”.
Frater, who was part of several World and Olympic record-breaking men’s 4x00m relay teams, implored athletes to “continue to make history and build a secure future for generations who will inherit your deeds; continue to strive for excellence as valiant citizens of this global sporting village, and in so doing create value that will be timeless”.
Describing the athletes as “the engine of sports”, Frater called upon the sporting fraternity to be more athlete-centric.
“The JAAA now has a policy where myself as the chairman of the athletes commission, we now have a vote, we now have a say. Long gone are the days when it was up to the ‘the men around the table’ — now the athletes themselves, we have direct input, we have a say, we can help with the decision-making of where our future is going,” Frater ended.
