Dear Editor,
The recent death of a Jamaican student athlete in Trinidad and Tobago is both untimely and tragic. My condolence to the family of Cavahn McKenzie and the St Jago High School community.
On the other hand, we should not allow Cavahn's death to be vain, and as such we must revisit how our student athletes are treated. The time has come for us to put in measures to protect them.
Firstly, is there a medical insurance scheme for our student athletes to assist them to cover medical costs whenever they get injured? If there is none, why not?
Additionally, we need to ask whether there is a group life insurance scheme for our student athletes to assist their families in the event of death. If this is not yet in place, surely now is as good a time as any for such a scheme to be implemented.
Oftentimes we tend to forget that death can come at any time in one's life. The sacrifices and glory to school and nation by our student athletes should not go unrecognised. The least we can do as a society is to reciprocate, in any way possible, given these athletes' level of commitment over the years.
We also need to ask ourselves what system is in place to test the level of fitness for our athletes before we allow them to compete whether locally, regionally or on the international stage? Do we administer stress tests to our student athletes before competition? Are they required to do a physical/medical examination before we deem them suitable for competition?
With the annual Boys' and Girls' Championships on the horizon, we should ask ourselves have we done all that we can to protect our athletes from all these eventualities?
What about the nutrition of our athletes? Are our student athletes eating a balanced diet? I make reference not only to students who compete in track and field, but also to other sports such as football, rugby, and netball.
Last, but by no means least, we must ensure that our student athletes are knowledgeable about banned supplements/substances as outlined by the World Anti-Doping Agency and our local authorities.
The time has come for the Government of Jamaica to create a student athletes policy to guide the welfare of our current and future track stars. Let us not wait until another tragedy comes our way before we act on this matter. Jamaica's continued success in track and field is dependent upon the decisions our policymakers must take. We owe it to our athletes, and indeed to the country, to ensure we put all measures in place to preserve our rich history in athletics.
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
www.wayaine.blogspot.com
Let this tragedy guide our steps
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The recent death of a Jamaican student athlete in Trinidad and Tobago is both untimely and tragic. My condolence to the family of Cavahn McKenzie and the St Jago High School community.
On the other hand, we should not allow Cavahn's death to be vain, and as such we must revisit how our student athletes are treated. The time has come for us to put in measures to protect them.
Firstly, is there a medical insurance scheme for our student athletes to assist them to cover medical costs whenever they get injured? If there is none, why not?
Additionally, we need to ask whether there is a group life insurance scheme for our student athletes to assist their families in the event of death. If this is not yet in place, surely now is as good a time as any for such a scheme to be implemented.
Oftentimes we tend to forget that death can come at any time in one's life. The sacrifices and glory to school and nation by our student athletes should not go unrecognised. The least we can do as a society is to reciprocate, in any way possible, given these athletes' level of commitment over the years.
We also need to ask ourselves what system is in place to test the level of fitness for our athletes before we allow them to compete whether locally, regionally or on the international stage? Do we administer stress tests to our student athletes before competition? Are they required to do a physical/medical examination before we deem them suitable for competition?
With the annual Boys' and Girls' Championships on the horizon, we should ask ourselves have we done all that we can to protect our athletes from all these eventualities?
What about the nutrition of our athletes? Are our student athletes eating a balanced diet? I make reference not only to students who compete in track and field, but also to other sports such as football, rugby, and netball.
Last, but by no means least, we must ensure that our student athletes are knowledgeable about banned supplements/substances as outlined by the World Anti-Doping Agency and our local authorities.
The time has come for the Government of Jamaica to create a student athletes policy to guide the welfare of our current and future track stars. Let us not wait until another tragedy comes our way before we act on this matter. Jamaica's continued success in track and field is dependent upon the decisions our policymakers must take. We owe it to our athletes, and indeed to the country, to ensure we put all measures in place to preserve our rich history in athletics.
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
www.wayaine.blogspot.com
Let this tragedy guide our steps
-->