Mills slams JOA for unfair allocation to JAAA for athletics officials

Veteran athletics coach Glen Mills has expressed his dissatisfaction with the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and the restrictions placed on the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) regarding the number of team officials to be accredited for this summer’s Paris Olympic Games.

Mills did not resist, as he criticized the JOA for the fact that they had only allocated 14 spots to the JAAA for team officials, a figure he cited as woefully insufficient given that the country is expected to field at least 60 track and field athletes at the global multi-sport competition.

In fact, Mills did not hesitate to state that besides diver Yona Knight-Wisdom, uncertainty surrounds whether or not the country will have athletes in another sporting discipline, which he believes justifies the contingent of Athletics receives the respect it deserves.

“I have participated in nine Olympic Games. It’s a shame that we have to fight to get the required number of coaches, the required number of therapists and doctors to support an Olympic team that is probably ranked number two or third in the world,” Mills said.

“I find it very unfortunate that athletics and what it represents in the Olympic movement, not just in Jamaica but around the world, and the history of Jamaica (is coming to this). We are not beggars, we deserve it,” he added.

Although he recommended that the JOA reconsider and increase the JAAA allocation to 17 team officials, Mills believes that figure is still insufficient and further suggested that 21 would be the right solution.

According to Mills, his experience as Jamaica’s technical director and coach at several international competitions in the past gives him in-depth knowledge of what it takes to manage an Olympic delegation.

“Seventeen people for a team of 65 to 70 people is totally insufficient. I know that. I went there and did it. I’ve been to at least six or seven Olympics as a technical director and coach,” Mills said.

“I know what it’s like to go out there and work with so many different athletes and with so much responsibility. So I don’t see why that number is a problem. How can athletics struggling to recruit 17 people when the minimum based on requirements should be around 21,” he questioned.

On this subject, Mills, the former coach of sprint legend and world record holder Usain Bolt, stressed that he could have chosen to take his expertise elsewhere, but declined offers from two other Olympic associations to join their team for this year’s Olympic Games.

“If I was forced to recognize the need for other coaches who have many athletes, I could have gone to the Olympics with other countries. I have been offered two full accreditations, full funding, but I could never see myself wearing the colors of another country, but if I have to, I will have to,” he said.

Meanwhile, JAAA President Garth Gayle explained that efforts to get the JOA led by Christopher Samuda to reconsider their decision proved futile, although he stressed the need for additional staff to support the athletes in various disciplines.

“We believe this is a reasonable request considering the wide range of disciplines, horizontal jumps, vertical jumps, throws, as well as medical staff and therapists, we ask the JOA to increase this number by three to bring it up to 17. Their response was I turned 14 and that’s it, but we’re asking them to watch it again,” Gayle explained.