Douglas Orane (left), chairman and of CEO GraceKennedy, speaks to Dr Walton Small (right), president of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) and International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) Area Representative, Neville 'Teddy' McCook (second right), at the launch of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Champs 100 programme at Terra Nova All-Suites Hotel on Monday. Looking on are: Don Wehby (second left), Group Chief Operating Officer and Pascal Rollin, representative of global sports goods manufacturing firm Puma. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
It will cost just over $30 million to execute next year's milestone staging of the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA) Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships, which is scheduled to get under way at the National Stadium from March 24-27 in a year in which organisers and the 'Champs' faithfuls will be celebrating the meet's centenary.
Security cost, as usual, accounts for the bulk of the budget.
However, ISSA is also spending considerably in other areas as it looks to ensure that Jamaicans - both at home and overseas - get an opportunity to share in the spectacle.
Dr Walton Small, ISSA's chairman, made the disclosure while responding to several questions from The Gleaner during Monday evening's launch of the championship on the lawns of the Terra Nova All-Suites Hotel in Kingston.
Making it a special championship
"It's (Champs) going to be very expensive and we are going all out to make it a special championship. The overall budget is somewhere over $30 million," Small confirmed. "Security is not quite half of the budget but it's a very significant portion."
Small, who is also the Principal of the Wolmers High school for boys, added that they will be seeking support from the government in terms of costing for the police personnel that will be utilised and added that they will also be relying heavily on private security firms.
Live internet streaming
In an attempt to ensure that Jamaicans living overseas are able to share in the celebrations, ISSA is planning to offer live internet streaming of the four-day championships and also intends to erect large screens at specific points across the United States and the United Kingdom with large Jamaican/Caribbean representation.
"We want to make sure that this reaches the diaspora, especially in the United States. We are not sure who we will be partnering with just yet, but what we are sure about is that we will be carrying this live via the internet, as well as we are going to have dedicated areas where we will have large screens erected and invite our friends overseas to pay to view the events," Small added.
This move is also expected to add revenue for the organisation as they look to recoup some of the expenses that they will be undertaking. There are also discussions surrounding the possibility of screens being erected across the island, as well as the organisers' move to get as many people involved in the celebration as possible.
"We realise that we cannot hold everybody at the National Stadium and so we are looking at alternatives," said Small.