UTech Classic to change fan culture

Director of Sports at the University of Technology (UTech), Anthony Davis, said he wanted to use the UTech Track and Field Classic to change the culture of track and field fandom in Jamaica.

Davis was speaking at yesterday's launch of the ninth staging of the event on the campus.

He said that this culture change will be achieved by showcasing the talent of Jamaica's student athletes and the generation of funds for the university's sports growth.

"It's an ongoing thing," Davis said, "raising funds is not something you do for a couple years and stop, because there is the need to expand your programme.

"We have approximately 320 student athletes across all sports and so what we need to do is get enough money to fund their scholarships. We have different level scholarships.

"We are nine years old. We are growing and the collegiate market is a little different because, as you know, Jamaica is a high-school society. So when people will go to Champs in their numbers, they won't necessarily support their colleges. If you come on campus now, you'll see several persons in a Calabar shirt or a Wolmer's shirt or a KC shirt, but you're not going to see somebody in a UTech or UWI or a Mico shirt. We are trying to change that and that's part of the revolution we are working on."

41 EVENTS

The meet takes place on April 15 at the National Stadium between 4 and 8 p.m. and will feature 41 events, 17 of which are individual events, some of which will see Paralympics athletes competing.

- R.P.