MONTEGO BAY, St James — Commending the loyalty of many Jamaican athletes, retired track icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Wednesday told members of the diaspora that national pride is not enough and thanked them for supporting the country’s sportsmen and women, who are saddled with huge bills juxtaposed to limited chances to earn. At the same time, she urged the Government to do more.

“We do have a lot of talented athletes in Jamaica and I can tell you a lot of our athletes, they represent the black, green and gold because they’re loyal to the flag; wi very loyal!” she said during a panel discussion held as part of the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James.

“There is nothing that fills us with more pride [than] when we represent our country. But that cannot be enough because you have athletes, who are spending US$20,000 just on health issues, going to the doctor, flying out to go see an orthopaedic surgeon, who they think is really good. There [are] a lot of things that happen with the athletes,” the Olympian highlighted.

The issue of the remuneration available locally, compared to fat salaries and attractive benefits available overseas, attracted renewed debate last year when Turkiye lured away four elite Jamaican athletes, who agreed to switch allegiance. The athletes are Olympic discus champion Rojé Stona, shot put bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell, long jumper Wayne Pinnock and triple jumper Jaydon Hibbert. The moves were subsequently blocked after World Athletics’ Nationality Review Panel determined that the applications formed part of a coordinated, State-funded recruitment effort by the destination country.

On Wednesday, while not speaking specifically to that issue, Fraser-Pryce made the point that what Jamaica has to offer falls short.

“Athletes don’t run away from things they are benefiting from, that’s just the reality,” she said.

“As a country, we have to now understand that when athletes go out to compete, you are talking about their families, you are talking about themselves, you are talking about injuries, you are talking about brand deals, you’re talking about the Olympic Games that only come around every four years. You’re talking about a World Championship that comes around every two years and then they add other sporting events during that time,” she explained.

“These athletes depend on making money from these meets if they’re healthy, if they have the access to these things. So the reality is, we as a country, we have to do more in terms of supporting our athletes. We are a small country and we [are] punching way above our weight but we have to do better,” she insisted.

She noted that while there is an opportunity to win medals and prize money at major championships, and the Olympic Games may open doors to lucrative sponsorship deals, many athletes will never earn enough to stay afloat because of the dearth of opportunities for them to shine.

“How many female sprinters that run 10.70 Jamaica has? Nuff. But there [are] only three that can go to the championship,” Fraser-Pryce explained.

“You cannot just have an athlete sitting down. There is no corporate sponsorship, they are not paid by the [athletics] federation, they don’t know what is happening in terms of funding. So if you are able to support those athletes, not only during the sport, but life after track [that would be good]. What are we doing to transition athletes outside of the sport? How are we helping them to invest and make the transition? So there is a lot at stake,” she added.

Reminiscing on how she personally benefited from help provided by members of the diaspora during the early days of her career, Fraser-Pryce asked Jamaicans abroad to do the same for other athletes.

“My first interaction with the diaspora would have to be the Penn Relays,” she said, describing the sports meet as integral to the development of Jamaica’s athletes.

“We go to the Penn Relays, we’re all excited to be there but how are the athletes fed, how are they taken care of? It’s because of the diaspora,” she said.

“I have proudly stated many, many times before that, for me, what gives me pride is that everything that I’ve accomplished I have done so with Jamaicans. I did not go overseas for college, my coaches were Jamaican, the people who invested in me were Jamaicans, so for me, going internationally and wearing Jamaica proudly is [because] many persons have invested in who I am today,” she declared.

Fraser-Pryce is Jamaica’s most decorated female sprinter, having won four World Championship 100m titles. Her collection of medals also includes Olympic gold and numerous other international honours, cementing an enviable legacy in the sport.