National coach and GC Foster principal, Maurice Wilson, has argued for coaches to be given the most time possible to safely prepare athletes for the upcoming ISSA Boys and Girls Championships.
At current, the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) is deciding between two dates. The first is between March 23rd and 27th, with the second between May 4th to 7th. The organisation of expected to make its decision in the coming days but for Wilson, the May date is the clear winner.
Most sports across Jamaica, including the majority of local track meets, have been suspended since around March of last year. The decision was made with aim of helping the country to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
As such, many of the athletes are still in training but would lack competitive sharpness until local track and field meets return to the calendar. Wilson fears that the meet been staged as soon as March could mean risks are taking in preparing athletes to be at their best for the major meet.
“We have to be cognizant of the fact that there is a thin line between safety and making sure our athletes are ready for competition,” Wilson said in a recent television interview.
“When you look at some of the side effects of the coronavirus it can affect a lot of persons that are involved in sports,” he added.
