Boldon: Jamaica has to offer more support to athletes

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Legendary Trinidadian sprinter Ato Boldon believes that if Jamaica does not do more to assist its professional athletes, they will lose them to countries which are willing to offer them lucrative contracts to switch allegiance.

His comments have come following recent reports that four of its premier athletes - discus thrower Roje Stona, long jumper Wayne Pinnock, shot putter Rajindra Campbell and World Under-20 triple jump record holder Jaydon Hibbert - were in the process of completing moves to Turkey.

According to reports, Turkey is offering a US$500,000 signing bonus, monthly stipends, and six-figure incentives for podium finishes at major championships.

Speaking during an interview on Isports on i95.5 FM on Saturday, the 51-year-old Boldon, a four-time Olympic medallist, said the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) needed to urgently find a solution.

“Their bigger problem now is that people have grown so frustrated with how Jamaica supports their pro athletes that they are losing all these athletes to Turkey.

“When you see what Turkey is offering, you realise that it’s not going to be a 2025 problem, it’s going to be an ‘it started in 2025 problem’,” Boldon said.

“So now a country like Turkey, and don’t forget there are other countries that have a history, like Bahrain and others, but there are other countries who that is their national policy, so Jamaica has other problems on the horizon.”

Boldon said while he did not believe the situation was “an emergency” for Jamaica just yet, he said Jamaica needed to treat their professional athletes better.

He explained that while it was the norm for athletes to switch allegiance, Jamaica could ill afford to lose its world-class athletes because of its smaller pool.

“I don’t think it is an emergency for Jamaica yet, but I know they are already having meetings about it and it is clearly something that has to be addressed. I think they are going to have to get the private sector to come and maybe create a fund or something for their athletes, because this is the era of NIL [name, image and likeness].

“These kids are not like us. They don’t believe that they have to be broke while everyone else around us is rich. So, these kids are looking around and going, ‘If Jamaica doesn’t care enough to support me as an athlete winning medals for them, then maybe this one-way allegiance and support is for the birds’,” Boldon said.

“The truth is that there are tons of athletes from America who are running for Liberia and other countries now, and there are tons of Americans who have changed allegiance to Nigeria.

“So, the truth is that if four Jamaicans switched, that is an emergency in Jamaica, but it is not an emergency to the IOC or to World Athletics,” he added.