Ludlow Watts, chairman of the Organising Committee of the JAAA/Supreme Ventures Limited National Senior Championships, said they would be putting a number of measures in place to ensure that the country’s athletes are in excellent shape going into this year’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar, in September.

A number of local coaches recently expressed concern over the scheduling dates of this year’s National Senior Championships, which is three months before the World Championships, which will be held from September 27 to October 6. The National Senior and Junior Championships is set from June 20-23 at the National Stadium. Watts told The Gleaner that the JAAA would be doing all that it could to make sure that the Jamaican athletes are in tip-top shape after the Trials are completed.

“A lot of them (athletes) are a part of clubs and so you will have an MVP, a Racers, and Sprintec, and I know that those clubs are professional enough that their athletes are kept in good shape after the National Championships,” said Watts, following yesterday’s press launch, which was held at The Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.“These clubs will consume most of the athletes and so what will happen is that we will have a one and one discussion with those athletes who are in colleges because we will have to ensure that they get ample preparation by virtue of the development meets, which we will be having each week,” he said.“These athletes want to do well, and so these development meets will make them much sharper going into the World Championships,” Watts said. The veteran administrator added that he is expecting an exciting Trials because a number of junior athletes are aiming to upset their senior counterparts.“I think we are going to see some athletes from the juniors who are going to make the team,” said Watts.

MOTIVATED
“I think that they are highly motivated, and I am confident that they are going to upset some of the senior athletes at this championships.”

Title sponsors Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) has pumped $7 million into this year’s staging of the event. Gail Abrahams, vice-president of group marketing, communication and sponsorships of SVL, said that her company is committed to the development of sport in Jamaica.“We are a Jamaican company, and so we support all things Jamaican, and so we have been supporting this event for 16 years and so we believe in this event,” said Abrahams. “Jamaicans love track and field, and we will be at the championships, and we are expecting it to be very exciting.”