Maryland, United States — East Coast International Showcase Track and Field Championships Chief Organiser Sanjay Ayre says they will offer two scholarships for Jamaican athletes competing on Saturday.

The championships, which will feature over 1,200 competing athletes, will showcase a number of Jamaican junior athletes against their American counterparts.

Ayre, a two-time Jamaican Olympian, told the Jamaica Observer after yesterday’s media briefing that they are dedicated to assisting the country’s student-athletes.

“We are going to create a scholarship fund for our athletes, and so maybe two or three athletes from the high schools that attended, I will have them apply for a scholarship fund and then we will come to Jamaica and donate the scholarships to them,” Ayre said.

“We are also trying to find additional donors for when the athletes are here in the US for the one-week training camp because there is a cost that is associate in staying in the hotel for a week and feeding them, but we are very committed to this event and we are working very hard to ensure that this meet continues for years to come.”

Ayre says the meet also offers an opportunity for Jamaicans to secure scholarships to universities in the United States, as many US scouts will be present on Saturday.

“A lot of these athletes vie for different scholarship opportunities on a yearly basis and I think that this meet also gives them a big platform in the US because it is another high level meet that can transition to another level as star junior athletes,” he said. “I am pleased to be able to provide an additional high-level opportunity for our Jamaican athletes and hopefully the Jamaican schools will continue to support us and we will get more sponsors on board so we can keep this thing going.”

Meet co-founder and PUMA Sports Marketing Manager Juliet Campbell hopes their support for the championships will continue beyond this year.

“PUMA’s support of the meet is unquestionable from the beginning because they have always supported grass roots development and anything to do with the kids and track and field, and once Jamaica is involved, PUMA is going to be interested,” she said. “I am hoping that when the dialogue and negotiations come through, we will get a better package than we have now.”

The Jamaican schools listed to compete at the meet include Hydel, St Jago (both boys’ and girls’ teams), Excelsior boys, Jamaica College, Wolmer’s Girls’, Muschett, and St Elizabeth Technical.