“Honestly guys, if the support system don’t change, my kids not running for Jamaica. Sorry to say that, it’s just facts, you know what I mean? My wife is Canadian and Ghanaian so there are options,” said Mr Asafa Powell

Not surprisingly, Mr Powell, the biggest name in Jamaican male sprinting before Mr Usain Bolt snatched the title of world’s fastest man from him, has found himself in the midst of a raging controversy, now gone abroad, over his recent comments.

Mr Powell, who has been oft described — and apparently well loved by Jamaicans — as a man of humility, said his children would not compete for Jamaica unless the system changes, noting that they had options because his wife is Canadian and Ghanaian.

“I remember back in 2006, I was offered millions of USD to run for another country, and at the time I turned it down because I didn’t know what the future holds. If I knew what I know now, I would have taken up that opportunity,” Mr Powell bemoaned on his podcast.

“No athlete wants to retire and go work 9 to 5 or sit down struggling and wondering what’s next. We all want to have a good life afterward; money should work for us when we retire…

“I ran for free my entire life, I ran for Jamaica, just country pride and all that stuff to win a medal, and I’ve never gotten anything from the country,” he continued.

Mr Powell is by no means the first elite athlete to have criticised “the system” and indeed has joined Jamaican legends such as Ms Merlene Ottey and Mr Donald Quarrie, among others. Criticism of the Jamaican sporting authorities by Ms Danniel Thomas-Dodd at last year’s Paris Olympics is still fresh in our minds. Big name entertainers have also been known to complain about lack of support.

The big question is: What exactly are successful athletes and entertainers looking for from the country? Moreover, what would constitute satisfactory support? How much support are they entitled to? Are the taxpayers supposed to finance such support? And can we afford to?

Jamaicans have always demonstrated fierce pride in our athletes, entertainers, and others who cause our flag to fly high in the world. But all of this is facilitated by the revered Brand Jamaica which Jamaicans have built over many years.

It is also noteworthy that then Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and other principal stakeholders established the Jamaican Athletes’ Insurance Plan (JAIP), as part of the National Sports Policy of 2013.

The plan to provide sustainable health and life insurance, pension, and retirement coverage for all eligible national athletes was improved upon in 2022 by current Minister of Sport Ms Olivia “Babsy” Grange, showing that there is national unison.

Note well, too, that athletes are largely developed by the school system from primary to tertiary, which is funded by taxpayers, with a great many of them emerging at the annual Boys’ and Girls’ Championships.

There will always be a paucity of resources to support all of Jamaica’s 26 sporting bodies recognised by the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and the numerous other sports organisations within the country, including the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA).

Mr Powell, whose net worth was put at US$6.5 million in November 2024 is not a ‘sufferer’. Like all Jamaican parents it is his responsibility to nurture his children to success.