JAMAICA CELEBRATES A CENTENARY OF SPEED

Jamaica celebrates the 100th anniversary of one of its most prestigious athletics events later this week – with the island’s world-famous runners watching from the sidelines.

The Jamaica ISSA Boys’ & Girls’ Athletic Championships, or ‘Champs’ as it is commonly known, is open only to secondary school children and its reputation for producing some of the world’s quickest sprinters ensures it grips the nation – as well as the world’s media and sporting professionals.

Champs began in 1910 as a competition between six schools for boys. A girls’ championship was initiated in 1957 but it was not until 1999 that the two meets were brought together in a four-day event. Now, as Jamaica marks 100 years since the first boys’ championships, the competition has grown to include around 150 schools.

Over 80,000 spectators are expected to attend Champs from 24th – 27th March 2010 at the National Stadium in Kingston, while many more will tune in for the TV coverage. The annual event attracts Olympians past and present, including Jamaican-born gold medallist Donovan Bailey and Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, who first came to prominence at the event and will no doubt be watching closely for the talented youngsters who could one day run away with his crown.

Bolt competed at Champs several times, setting new championship records for the 200m and 400m in 2003 which are still unbroken today. Asafa Powell, Merlene Ottey and Shelley-Ann Fraser are just some of the other world-class runners who started out at the championships.

The boys’ competition is one of the longest-running schools athletics competitions in the world. To mark its centenary year, a commemorative book has been published looking at the history of the championships, including results tables, interesting facts and interviews with Champs legends.

Given the sprinting talent displayed at Champs over the decades, it is no wonder that the atmosphere around it is electrifying.

“Champs is almost as big as the Olympic or Commonwealth Games in Jamaica,” comments Elizabeth Fox, Regional Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board. “No one knows why Jamaicans run so fast, but everyone’s eager to spot that future world record-breaker. Jamaica is a hot-bed for sporting talent – from sprinters and cricketers to bobsledders - so we’re encouraging all visitors to come and discover more about the island’s sporting heritage.”

As well as the many adventure activities available in Jamaica, sports fans can visit an exhibition of the island’s sporting heroes from the past 60 years at Mystic Mountain, which also offers a bobsled ride through the rainforest.

Jamaica’s speedy history: facts and figures
· Jamaica (population 2.7 million) took home 11 athletics medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, putting it in fourth position behind the USA (23 medals, pop. 307 million), Russia (18 medals, pop. 141.8 million), and Kenya (14 medals, pop. 38.5 million)

· Jamaica’s Usain Bolt holds the current world records for the 100 metres, 200 metres and, along with his team mates, the 4 x 100 metre relay

· The current 400m record at Champs, set by Usain Bolt in 2003, is only 0.7 seconds slower than his personal best over the same distance (45.35 seconds versus 45.28 seconds)

· Champs has been staged every year since 1910 with the exception of 1944 when the event was cancelled

· Norman Manley, Jamaica’s first Premier, held the 100 yard record at Champs for many years

· Arthur Wint MBE, the first Jamaican to win an Olympic gold medal (in the 1948 London games) was a Champion Boy at Champs

· British high-jumper Germaine Mason’s record of 2.09m still stands and each year he attends Champs to see if it will be broken

· In 2009, current world junior champion Dexter Lee won the senior boys’ 100m race in 10.35 seconds


ENDS
For more information or photos please contact:
McCluskey International
Kate Popham
T: 020 8237 7979
E: jamaica@mccluskey.co.uk

About Jamaica Tourist Board
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. The JTB was declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau by the World Travel Awards (WTA) from 2006 to 2009, while Jamaica earned the WTA’s vote as the World’s Leading Cruise Destination, the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination.

JTB offices are located in Kingston, Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo.

For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the Jamaica Tourist Board’s Web site at www.visitjamaica.com, or call the Jamaica Tourist Board on 020 7225 9090.