I am the man for the job - Gayle banking on experience in JAAA race

Garth Gayle, the man who many believe will be take over the reins at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) as its next president in the coming weeks, is pointing to his experience in international track and field administration, as the organisation gets set to enter a new chapter.

Gayle will go up against Olympian Donald Quarrie for the position, when its membership vote in the annual general meeting two weeks from now.

Having served as general secretary for the JAAA over the past two decades, Gayle underlined his background and various roles in athletics, both regionally and internationally, as clear indicators of his readiness for one of the top sports administration jobs in the region.

“The experience that I have gained over the 20 years as secretary of the association, serving at the regional North American Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association level, also as a representative of Jamaica and the region at the World Athletics technical commission; all these, as well as [being] a trained educator, a school administrator, will provide all the necessary means by which I will be able to manage, with a team, the JAAA,” Gayle told The Sunday Gleaner.

Gayle says that his manifesto, which will be released in its entirety on Tuesday, will focus on four aspects: Human Capacity Development, Strategic Marketing and Brand Optimisation, Medical Optimisation-Anti Doping, with additional focus on COVID-19 measures, as well as Strategic Partnership and Governance.

In fact, in this particular campaign, the issue of governance has come under the microscope, as it relates to the means by which the members will cast their votes on November 28, with calls being advanced for an online voting option, in the midst of the current pandemic.

Gayle, however, says the decision to stick to in-person voting, administered by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, is in keeping with the JAAA’s constitution. When asked if there was consideration to change the constitution given the extraordinary circumstances, he said that the proposal was not raised officially by the membership.

“No member of the association has visited, phoned or spoken in regard to the question you have raised,” Gayle said. “Therefore, we continue to manage in the way that the articles of our association speak to.”

ONLINE VOTING

It should be noted that Quarrie himself has appeared in local media calling for the use of online voting in the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, Gayle’s plan to improve the marketing arm of the association, according to him, will include upgrading communication among stakeholders across all platforms, as well as other aspects.

“To position Jamaican track and field as a knowledge centre, to leverage the brand ... coaches, technical staff, retired athletes, all stakeholders will be part of this new positioning. A robust framework improving on the communication on all platforms to our stakeholders, and more, will be outlined in our manifesto,” Gayle said.

In building on the current athletics programme, Gayle says that his team, which includes former athletes, is focused on continuing, from an administrative perspective, the recent success of women athletes, while seeking to return male sprinting to its competitive best. Additionally, with athletes worldwide being more vocal and advocating for involvement in the key decisions concerning their sport, Gayle said that local athletes will also be involved in such endeavours locally and internationally.

Meanwhile, Quarrie, the iconic former Jamaican sprinter, has called for change in the current leadership, underlining the need to add personnel with corporate experience and respect to the forefront of the organisation. His criticisms also include the inability of the JAAA to capitalise on the success of eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt’s success and Jamaica’s golden era of sprinting.

Like Gayle, Quarrie has held influential positions within the JAAA over that period, with the 1976 Olympic 200m champion serving as a vice-president in the organisation.

In addition to his role at the JAAA, Gayle is also the second vice-president at the Jamaica Olympic Association, where he is the director in charge of court sports, such as netball, badminton, squash and basketball.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com