Major stakeholders from the corporate community amid the coordinators yesterday launched the fifth edition of the Boyce/Jefford Track and Field Classic, which will be held on August 16-17 at the Mackenzie Sports Club
Chairman of the Boyce/Jefford Track & Field Committee, Colin Boyce (second, left) addresses the media in the presence of, from left, Wartsila Contract
Manager, Arron Fraser, Ansa McAl’s Smalta Brand Manager, Anjeta Hinds, Coordinator, Edison Jefford and Digicel’s Sponsorship & Events Manager, Gavin Hope.
(MSC) Ground, Linden.
At the official launch of the 2014 meet at Sleepin International Hotel on Brickdam, Chairman of the Boyce/Jefford Track and Field Committee, Colin Boyce, disclosed details relating to hosting what has undoubtedly become Guyana’s biggest athletics meet.
According to Boyce, the meet has gained the attention of a number of Caribbean countries over the years and for this fifth edition, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Grenada and United States-based athletes are among those to compete.
Boyce informed that the games have grown to the magnitude where Trinidad wanted to bring a club. However, he said that would not be in the best interest of the clubs in Guyana since one of the aims of the meet is to make clubs financially strong.
The top club this year will run away with $600,000 and the Championship Trophy while second, third and fourth places will get $400,000, $250,000 and $150,000 respectively along with trophies. A total of $1.4M will be handed out in the Club Championship.
The organisers had awarded prizes up to sixth place last year, but Boyce said they opted to fourth place this year to create more competitiveness while increasing the sums. Apart from the sums to be doled out to clubs, there will be six international events, carrying $100,000 each with winners pocketing $50,000, second place $30,000 and $20,000 for third place; a total of $600,000 will be handed out for the international events.
In addition, the male and female champion athletes will be awarded $50,000 each and in event of a tie the sum will be divided evenly. Sprint sensation US-based, Brenessa Thompson will be here to compete along with Surinamese-born, US-based sprinter Daniela Clark, who is also confirmed for the meet.
The two athletes along with Guyana’s fastest female over the last two years, Alita Moore, who is on scholarship in the US, but already in Guyana, are set for a mouth-watering showdown in the International Women’s 200m race. The event is also set to feature, World Junior Silver medallist, Kadecia Baird, who has expressed an interest in competing.
The other international events scheduled are: Male Long Jump, Women’s Triple Jump, Women’s 1500m, Male 800m and Male 400m. The battle is scheduled to begin at 12 noon on the Saturday and 2pm on the final day, Sunday.
Events and Sponsorship Manager of Digicel, the primary sponsor of the meet, Gavin Hope stated that the reason for Digicel’s continued support of the meet is as a result of continued growth over the years. He urged the organisers to continue to raise the bar.
“We have seen growth over the past four years, we have seen a lot of Caribbean athletes and we expect a similar level of participation this year. I want to congratulate the organisers for staying with it and keeping the meet in Linden and Digicel will continue to be a part of it especially with the growth we are seeing,” Hope observed.
He said that he knows that from conversation with the organisers a lot of planning goes into the event and he hopes that the other systems, like getting the ground ready, will support their efforts to provide a quality developmental event to the community.
In a rousing address, Ansa McAl’s Smalta Brand Manager, Anjeta Hinds called for a collective approach to sports development, stating that with much more corporate impetus, the meet could grow to mirror the globally renowned Jamaican Championships.
According to Hinds, “the meet has the potential and we have seen that potential”. “Ansa McAl always prides itself on youth development in sport and with track and field in Guyana it is no different,” Hinds added, pledging the full backing of her company.
Contract Manager at Wartsila, another company that has been with the meet from day one, Arron Fraser, indicated that he saw what the meet has become from the first day he was presented with the proposal for the meet five years ago.
“What we’ve observed is that the event continues to grow in stature and in some ways it mirrors some of our company’s values: energy, excitement and excellence. The real people, who benefit from all of it all, are the athletes and it’s a good distraction from all the ills of society so I would encourage the athletes to continue to train hard for the meet,” Fraser said.