‘No show, no go!’
JAAA president reminds athletes of World Champs selection criteria
Published:Tuesday | February 5, 2019 | 12:21 AM
President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Dr Warren Blake has sought to remind Jamaican athletes that only those who participate in the Senior National Championships are eligible for selection for the IAAF World Championships.
His reminder came after Cubie Seegobin, the agent of several of Jamaica’s top athletes who are affiliated with the Adidas brand, warned that some of his athletes could miss the National Championships on June 20-23 to compete at the mandatory Adidas Boost Games in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 16.
Seegobin believes the date of the National Championships is not convenient for his clients, as they have been thrust into a situation to choose between obligations to their sponsors, and a chance to represent their country at the premier athletics event of the year, the IAAF World Championships.
But Blake is adamant that only those athletes who meet the criteria of a medical exemption can miss the National Championships and be eligible for selection for the World Championships.
Team selection
“We can only select a team based on who come to our championships. If the athletes don’t turn up to our championships, they cannot be included,” Blake said.
“The only persons who can be exempt from our trials are those who meet the criteria for a medical exemption.”
Blake said athletes who are mandated to compete at the Adidas Boost Games can easily fulfil that obligation and travel back to Kingston for the National Championships.
“I really do not think the date is an issue. We are in the same time zone as Boston,” he argued.
Before the JAAA released the official date of the National Championships last Thursday, there were several contentious discussions among administrators, coaches, athletes, and agents about when it will be held.
It was widely believed that the National Championships would, for the first time, move to late July to be closer to the World Championships, which is scheduled for September 28 to October 6 in Doha, Qatar.
But Blake said the date was chosen to facilitate the schedule of the IAAF Diamond League.