Grange exploring options to assist athletes during pandemic

Minister of Sport Olivia Grange says she is exploring avenues to provide assistance to athletes who have seen their earnings reduced because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Grange's comments come on the heels of the president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), Dr Warren Blake's plea for help from the Government for assistance for athletes, particularly those without shoe contracts who aren't able to earn because of the cancellation and postponement of athletics meets due the pandemic.

"The ministry has also been exploring avenues for providing assistance to all our athletes who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, even as our own budget has been significantly reduced and funds reallocated to assist Jamaicans generally who have been impacted. We are still in discussions with the Ministry of Finance to sure up those proposals," Grange told STAR Sports.

"We have to understand that sport not only impacts athletes from the JAAA. It is more far-reaching; other athletes from other sporting disciplines have been affected. Some athletes would have already benefited through the Government's CARE Programme, and our attention now is on the strategies for assisting the sector to rebound from the pandemic."

Blake said that the association has been assisting over 30 athletes from its coffers as they weather the pandemic period.

"We are still giving some of them some financial support from the federation's coffers. We had hoped the Government would step up and give some assistance, but that has not materialised yet," Blake said. "The athletes who we are helping are not elite athletes. Those with contracts are not qualified for help from us, but the ones without contracts we are trying our best to support them."

He also pointed out that the association is also engaging athletes who are qualified for the World Athletes grant to apply.

"We are also trying to get them to apply for the World Athletics grant, but that is for a limited number of people, because it is for those athletes who have already qualified for the Olympics," Blake said.

Application for the grant opened on May 15 and will close at the end of the month.