Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter.JPG)
PHOTO BY ADRIAN FRATER: Olympian Jermaine Gonzales (left) accepts a cheque valued at $100,000 from Kenneth Dodd, Consumer Marketing Manager/Beverages at Nestle Jamaica Limited at yesterday's launch of the Milo Western Relays held at Wexford Inn in Montego Bay. Also in picture are left centre Dr Winsome Miller Rowe Harvey- Western Relays meet physician and Dr. Warren Blake- Vice President of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association..
WESTERN BUREAU: NESTLE Jamaica Limited, through it s brand Milo, has increased their sponsorship of the Western Relays that will be held at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex in Montego Bay on February 12.
Kenneth Dodd, Consumer Marketing Manager/ beverages for Nestle Jamaica announced at the press launch held on Wednesday at the Wexford Inn they had increased the sponsorship to $400,000, up from $360,000 last year.
Dodd also announced that his company would be spending over $700,000 in track and field this year through several initiatives. In addition to the sponsorship of the Western Relays, the first major event on the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) calendar, Milo also presented cheques worth $100,000 each to two national representatives, Olympian Jermaine Gonzalez and Jenice Daley, to help in their training.
HURDLES FOR SCHOOLS
Dodd also announced his company will be spending $100,000 to purchase hurdles, two flights of which will be donated to selected schools throughout the island. He added that if any of these schools were to produce an athlete to represent the country at the junior level within two years, Milo would then purchase a full set of hurdles for the school.
Among the schools that will receive the hurdles are Lewisville High, Tacius Golding, Happy Grove, Mannings, Herbert Morrison and Rusea's High.
Additionally, Milo will sponsor a special race at the meet for Primary Schools from St. James. The selected schools will attend a special training session and clinic at the event venue this afternoon, starting at 3:00p.m.
Meet Director for the Western Relays, which is celebrating its 27th year, Ray Harvey, announced the introduction of long jump Open for both male and female athletes, the first time field events will be contested at the meet.
Harvey told the press conference the objective of the meet since its inception was to help in the development of the sport and he thinks the meet has achieved this.
GOOD RESPONSE
He also said the response from top high schools, institutions and clubs from across the island has been good and they were on pace for over 100 entries for the one-day event.
He said they had already received confirmation from reigning Boys' and Girls' national champions Kingston College and Holmwood Technical, along with Vere Technical, St. Jago, Man-chester High and Mannings in the girls' section.
Former national junior representative Neville Myton will be honoured as the meet patron, while former Edwin Allen High 800m runner, Kay-Ann Thompson, and former Morant By High athlete, Wilbert Walker, will receive The Gleaner Youth Link award for their achievements last year.
Eight 'flat' or individual events and the long jump will be contested along with 26 relays from the 4x100 to the 4x800m from Primary and Prep schools to clubs and institutions and the top high schools.
