Straighten up and fly right - McNeill, Simpson warn sporting associations about importance of comfortable air travel for athletes
Published:Tuesday | November 10, 2020 | 12:11 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Dr Wykeham McNeill says that it is important that sporting associations and managers factor in the nuances of long-distance air travel as part of a professional athlete’s preparation for a major competition.
His comments follow Daniel Wilson, the agent of footballer Ravel Morrison, expressing displeasure at the seating arrangements of his client ahead of his travel to Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to make his debut for the Reggae Boyz when they meet the hosts in international friendlies on Saturday and next Tuesday.
While McNeill says that the effects of long-distance travel on athletes for competitions may vary with each individual, he says associations should do what they can to ensure that an athlete’s comfort is guaranteed for such travel, as it can affect how they recover from the effects to perform on the day.
“If you are in an uncomfortable seat, travelling for many hours, you may not be able to sleep. Jet lag may be more evident,” McNeill told The Gleaner. “One of the things is that most of these athletes we’re talking about are professional athletes. It’s part of their culture, it’s something they do regularly.”
An email, obtained by The Gleaner, showed Wilson complaining that Morrison was not given the business class seat the Jamaica Football Federation promised him for the flight.
“This is not how we travel as professional athlete, especially in the current times of COVID, and it’s disrespectful to you as you have given us information that seat has been upgraded, which is wasn’t,” Wilson said in the email.
Olympian Sherone Simpson says that if a particular athlete is used to a certain level of comfort, it can affect their mental preparation if that luxury is not afforded, but acknowledges that not all athletes respond in the same manner.
“If it’s something that you are used to, it matters,” she said. “It can affect them because, in that mindset, they want to be comfortable, and it is important that the athletes are comfortable. But if you are not used to it, it does not matter.”
McNeill said that the COVID-19 pandemic has made travelling a more rigorous exercise on the athlete because of the new measures at airports.
“We are now in a situation [with COVID-19] where travelling is more tedious,” he said. “You may spend two or three hours in the airport clearing health [checks]. You have issues of quarantine. So, the travelling is far more difficult.”
Simpson says that the athlete’s goal in dealing with the rigours of long-distance travel is to ensure that their bodies can recover quickly to perform at their maximum in their respective tournaments.