ANDRE LOWE, Special Projects Editor - Sports

President of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Dr Walton Small stressed the importance of the ongoing ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletic Championships to his organisation's efforts to dismissed suggestions the event needed to be privatised to reach its full potential.

Title sponsors GraceKennedy committed some $38.5 million towards the staging of this year's event, with a number of other high-profile partners including LIME, Puma, Gatorade and Television Jamaica also adding to the coffers.

Small insists that ISSA, which consists of principals of local high schools, is more than capable of leading the continued growth of the event while underlining its value.

"I challenge anybody to say that we are not maximising on what we are doing. There are a number of things to come, but when it is time for announcement, we will make those," Small said.

"We have the necessary people to take Champs to the next level," he added.

Small underlined the importance of the event to the organisation's execution of the less popular sports, while noting that a large percentage of what they make from the event is also given back to the participating schools to offset expenses.

"A lot of people see the stadium full and think ISSA is showering in cash. The sponsorship, collectively, cannot cover the championships, and therefore, part of the gate receipts have to go towards that to make sure that the event is at a particular level," he added.

"Out of that funds we have is to give back to the schools. All the schools that enter get a $50,000 allowance up front, so whether or not they have a male team or a female team; even if its only one athlete entered, they get that $50,000," Small explained.

"There is also an allowance for transportation. The closer you are to Kingston, the less you will get."

Schools also receive $2000 from ISSA for every point earned at the championships.

"A lot of the money that we currently receive in sponsorship goes back to the schools, somewhere in the region of $16 million," said Small.

"The funds that are left, we have to use on all the other sports, because we do not have any sponsorship for things like netball and basketball. Football and Champs are the only two sports that are sponsored," he said.