Calabar's star performer, Michael O'Hara, removes his team running vest to display the slogan of telecommunications company Digicel, after winning the boys' 200m final at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletic Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday. One of the event's key sponsors is telecommunications firm LIME. - Ricardo Makyn

Warns of stiff penalties after marketing stunt

ANDRE LOWE, Special Projects Editor (Sports)

President of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), Dr Walton Small, organisering body of the just-concluded ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships, admitted grave concern over the involvement of student athletes in guerilla marketing executions and promised stiffer penalties in the future.

Small was speaking in reference to the Class One Boys 200m post-race celebrations of Calabar titan, Michael O'Hara, who, after crossing the line in first place, shed his official Calabar team kit, revealing a green and red singlet with the words 'Be Extraordinary' - the tagline of telecommunications company Digicel, who shortly afterwards welcomed the 18-year-old as their newest brand ambassador.

Digicel is a direct competitor to LIME, an official sponsor of the championships. Small admitted that ISSA was caught out by the marketing stunt, but warned that they will be looking at discouraging a repeat in the future, in an effort to protect their sponsors and the student athletes.

The Wolmer's Boys School principal said that stiffer penalties - possibly ranging from points deductions to bans for student athletes involved, may be implemented going forward, noting that the organisation will be seeking professional advice on their legal footing and that he will be meeting with Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president, Dr Warren Blake, to discuss the matter on a wider scale.

"This is something that we will have to get expert advise on," Small said. "ISSA will have to sit and look at this to make sure that corporate Jamaica does not infringe on the rights of the students and schools. What we saw in this case was something entirely new for us."

"Champs is getting bigger and better and the corporate giants will want to use it as a platform for marketing.

"We are very concerned and we are seeing it for the first time, where there is heavy ambush marketing and students are now being used. This is something that will have consequences for the student and the schools.

"It can affect students going to college overseas and we have to be very careful," added Small, referring to US collegiate rules, which stipulate that students with certain financial support are not eligible for athletic scholarships.

"We must warn as first step - and it could mean that the athlete could be sanctioned by losing points, and the athlete might not be able to represent the country," Small said.

"This is a schoolboy and schoolgirl championship. You are here to represent your school. This is not about the individual and, therefore, we have to be mindful and have to make sure that corporate Jamaica does not exploit the students in any way.

"We know that in the amateur circles, there can be immediate sanctions. We will be meeting with the JAAA on Monday (today) to look at the rules that we must put in place to ensure that it doesn't happen," Small added.