Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

STICKING to a mandate of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), the organisers of the Douglas Forrest Invitational Meet to be held at Stadium East Complex this Saturday have added a few long distance races for this year's event.

For Saturday's meet, the organisers have added the 5000m for boys and 3000m for girls, along with the 4x800m relay - a first for a local development meet - and the distance medley relay.

They have also added the 70m and 80m hurdles for Classes 4 & 3 girls respectively, along with the 200m for Special Olympics male and female athletes.

"We listened to the president of the JAAA, Howard Aris, and we have come up with events to encourage middle and long distance running," said Brian Smith, chairman of the organising committee.

Tradition

Smith noted two Jamaican athletes, Natasha Ruddock and Kittiany Clarke, who reached the final of the World Junior 100m hurdles and said "... this is in keeping with tradition."

In his speech, Aris praised the organising committee for their vision and drive towards helping to develop track & field.

"This meet provides the platform for coaches and athletes to assist their training programme and this is good for the overall running of the sport," Aris said.

So far, 15 schools have sent in entries, but a lot more were expected to have done so at Saturday's Jamaica College Development Meet.

Teams

The event, which attracted H.D. Hopwood, JMMB, Best Dressed Chicken, Juciful, Ensure, Gatorade, Red Bull and Singer as its sponsors, will welcome an 18-member team from The Bahamas and a 14-strong unit from Cayman Islands.

Meanwhile, in keeping with tradition, the organisers will also have some Olympians present to interact with the young athletes.

Last year Olympic 100m and world sprint double champion Justin Gatlin, Olympic 200m champion Shawn Crawford, American 100m sprinter Me'Lisa Barber, along with other athletes from the Trevor Graham Sprint Capitol Group attended.

This time Ato Boldon of Trinidad & Tobago, Americans Bob Beamon, Lee Evans, John Carlos, and Mel Pender will be present at the third renewal of the next Saturday.

Boldon was a double bronze medallist at the Atlanta Olympic Games; Beamon a former record holder and 1968 Olympic long jump gold medallist; Evans won the 400m and mile-relay gold at the 1968 Olympic; and Carlos was the 200m bronze medallist at the 1968 Olympics. Also Carlos, at the United States trials, had set a hand-timed world record of 19.7 seconds over 200 metres.

Pender is a gold medallist from the 1968 Olympic Games.