No World Relays for Jamaica - JAAA boss

President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), Warren Blake, has confirmed to The Gleaner, that Jamaica has failed in its attempt to host the 2019 IAAF World Relays.

Blake said the Government was not able to provide a written financial backing to the IAAF, despite the world governing body extending the period, which was given for the country to provide the financial statement.

“The decision was for Jamaica to say we could afford to host the event and we needed the Government to say they could come up with the financial backing.  We were not able to secure a written financial backing from the Government in time. They gave us a deadline and when the deadline passed they extended it and we still could not come up with a written financial backing,” Blake said.

Jamaica became the preferred destination to host the event after The Bahamas, which hosted the first three editions of the meet, relinquished their hosting rights saying that it has become a financial strain.

It is reported that it would have cost the country over US$5 million ($687 million) to host the relays as major renovation would have to be done to the National Stadium.