DORIAN Scott, a former Jamaican shot put record holder, says he is happy that some Jamaican field events athletes appear on course to cash in on their abilities. But he added that being a member of what he described as the two greatest Olympic track and field teams of all times, was better than money.

His comments come against the backdrop of news that four elite Jamaican field events athletes are in the advanced stages of transferring national allegiances.

Scott, who last competed in 2012 and is still the third-ranked Jamaican men’s shot putter of all time, with a best of 21.45m, said he could not see himself switching allegiance from Jamaica as he never saw competing in track and field as an opportunity to make money.

“I’m very happy for the guys that are making the switch of allegiance. [I am] glad that they can make some money off of this opportunity,” Scott told the Jamaica Observer.

“[But] personally, when I competed for Jamaica I never even could imagine that it was… an opportunity to make a lot of money. I looked at it as almost like a sacrifice in order to do a hobby that I loved at the highest level — so, less of an opportunity to make money but more of an opportunity to just kind of live out a dream and, like I said, be at the highest level with something that I felt was a hobby.”

Scott recalled that at the 2005 and 2007 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland and Osaka, Japan, respectively, he competed in a plain, black shirt because his size was not available.

According to him, it was a momentous occasion when he finally got the team’s Jamaica-branded Puma shirt for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

“I was just grateful to go to the Olympics and they had my size, which was what I thought was just the greatest thing ever,” he noted.

“So personally, it’s hard for me to imagine myself switching allegiances while competing for Jamaica — but that’s because I didn’t look at it as an opportunity to make money. So, I can’t see in my circumstance any chance of me switching,” he reiterated.

Scott said, however, he has no problems with the athletes being able to make money from the sport.

“I’m proud that it’s now become where the field events [athletes] are now in a position to be lucrative and make money. Seeing the guys win gold and bronze is awesome, but I guess they’re on another level now where they’re wondering how they can make money off of it, so they’re in a different position. They’re looking to make money off of it and this is the best way they possibly can do it,” he reasoned in his interview with the Observer.

“I was never in that position but when I think back to that position — 2008 and 2012 Olympics — I mean, these are the greatest teams ever with [sprinters Usain] Bolt, Asafa [Powell]. I mean, [those were] some of the greatest times of my life so no, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t switch that for any money.

“But that’s just me, personally. [I am] happy for the guys, happy for whoever switches to make money, but my personal experience [is that] I wouldn’t take away being on the coolest team, probably, in Olympic history,” Scott reasoned.