The battle for high school track and field supremacy kicks off today at the National Stadium in St Andrew under the steady and anxious gaze of tens of thousands of Jamaicans here and abroad, as well as talent scouts from overseas.

The Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships — easily the biggest and greatest competition of its kind globally, at this level — returns with full spectator viewing inside the just over 30,000 capacity venue for the first time since 2019, following last year’s scaled-back allowance of 20,000 spectators as Jamaica emerged from gathering restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No spectators were allowed in 2021 and the event, popularly called Champs, was cancelled in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

A total of 69 boys’ schools and 68 girls’ teams are expected to compete, with 88 events set to be contested over the five-day spectacle.

Kingston College and Edwin Allen High are the respective boys’ and girls’ defending champions.

Champs coverage Pages 37-41