ISSA President Keith Wellington says he expects a more competitive ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships in the years to come with the reintroduction of the Top Urban and Top Rural School titles.

With a Corporate Area school likely to win the Boys’ title, the best-placed rural area school will be rewarded with the Top Rural School trophy. Also, with a rural area school likely to win the Girls’ title, the best-placed Corporate Area school will win the trophy for Top Urban School.

St Jago High was the last non-Corporate Area school to win Boys’ Champs, in 1993, while The Queen’s School in 1978 was the last time an urban area school won Girls’ Champs. Though the hope is to see other schools break the current dominance, Wellington told the Jamaica Observer that they want to ensure every school participating at Champs has a chance to achieve success.

“As schools and principals we recognise that rewards sweeten labour,” he said. “It is a well established fact that on the boys side we have some dominant urban schools, and though the rural schools do their best it’s difficult for them to compete with these boys’ schools. As a matter of fact, there are only two boys’ schools outside of Kingston.

Similar to the girls, there is a plethora of rural girls’ schools that do exceptionally well, and we want to encourage the urban schools.”

Wellington says there will also be better performances outside of the main contenders.

“Those mini battles make Champs what it is because many years you come and you have a very good idea who is going to win the title, but when you think of the mini battles that exist and who’s likely to win those mini battles, that is what keeps the vibe of the Champs going for those five days.” he said.

As it stands, the schools in contention for the Top Rural School trophy on the boys’ side include St Jago and St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) while Excelsior, Immaculate Conception, and Wolmer’s High School for Girls are vying for the Top Urban School trophy on the girls’ side.