Team Jamaica Bickle boss supports migrating athletes

SINCE THE news recently broke that four of the country’s top field event athletes have decided to change allegiance to compete for Türkiye for economic reasons, there has been much debate among local fans and administrators about the move.

On Friday, the second day of competition at the National Senior and Junior Championships inside the National Stadium, The Sunday Gleaner caught up with Irwin Clare, CEO of Team Jamaica Bickle in the United States – an organisation that supports Jamaican athletes at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia by providing food, transportation, and hotel accommodations.

When asked for his perspective on the athletes’ decisions, Clare expressed full support.

“First and foremost, I give credit to the prowess of our athletes and to all those who have played critical roles in their development. The organisation I represent is focused on the welfare of our athletes, and that means ensuring that at some stage they are in a position to earn from what they do best – their talents. At the end of the day, they have to do like everyone else: earn from their abilities,” said Clare.

“These athletes, after working hard, want to better themselves and do what is in their best interest. I am not in a position to criticise those who believe it’s best to provide economically for themselves and their families,” he continued.

“I am in total agreement with these athletes. Here in Jamaica, people search for greener pastures every day, and athletes are no different. The issue of allegiance is unfortunate, but in time they will reconcile with that. Wherever they go, they cannot become anti-Jamaica. Some will remain because they have better opportunities here,” said Clare, who emphasised that as a country, we need to step up our game.

“We have to improve when it comes to the welfare of our athletes. Let’s not fool ourselves. We are woefully lacking in what we provide for our athletes in recognition of what they’ve done for brand Jamaica. We seriously need to address this. In terms of infrastructure, we must take a hard look at where we are. We can’t compete with what other countries offer in financial support, but I’m certain there are still things we can do to ensure our athletes can benefit and want to stay.

“Looking to the future, once people see opportunities, they will move on. Someone once said to me, ‘If you’re given limes, what do you do? Certainly, you make lemonade’.”

“What’s happening now should be an eye-opener. Those in charge need to put away their differences aside and put a programme in place to make athletes comfortable staying home. For years, there have been ongoing criticisms that gaps still exist, and I don’t think our sports organisations fully realise the value of the brand we have. We need to put egos aside and work together in the best interest of our athletes.

“We are in a good position – so let’s fix it and do the right thing.”