MVP to decide on European camp
Published:Tuesday | August 4, 2020 | 12:00 AMAkino Ming/Staff Reporter
Bruce James, president of MVP Track Club, says the University of Technology-based athletics club could still travel to Europe this year if it is safe to do so.
Every year, the Stephen Francis-coached group move their training base to Italy for the greater part of the summer, as they participate in athletics meet across the continent. These plans have been cast in doubt, as the coronavirus pandemic forced most parts of the world into lockdown for the majority of the year, with Italy being the epicentre of the virus in March.
James told The Gleaner that the safety of the club’s athletes, coaches and support staff will guide their decision as to whether they will have a camp in Europe this year.
SAFETY IS PRIORITY
“The safety of our athletes, coaches, and support team is always the priority of the MVP group and that will guide all our decisions, and as such, no final decision has been made as to whether we will travel to Europe this year,” James said.
“There is a process to decide whether we will go to Europe and this includes knowing which events are being held and whether we will accept those invitations, based on what is going on. It is a continuous process,” he added.
Last Friday, world 400m record holder Wayde Van Niekerk returned a positive test for coronavirus, but another test 24 hours later revealed that he does not have the virus. Van Niekerk was also training in Italy.
It is reported that MVP’s Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah, has been confirmed for the Monaco Wanda Diamond League meet, which is scheduled for August 14.
James, who was instrumental in the recent restart of athletics in Jamaica after the outbreak of the virus forced a lot of meets to be cancelled, said that if the group is not able to travel safely to Europe, they will be contented with local opportunities.