By Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association President Clement Radcliffe (right) speaking with Douglas Orane (left), chairman and chief executive officer at GraceKennedy Limited, the new title-sponsors of Boys and Girls Champs, at a press conference at GraceKennedy's head office, Harbour Street, yesterday. Looking on is chairman of the organising committee, David Myrie. - Rudolph Brown

A new sponsor for the prestigious Boys and Girls Champ-ionships was announced yesterday.

Local food and financial services compnay, GraceKennedy Limited will pump $42m over three years into the island's biggest and most popular track and field meet. This year's renewal will take place at the National Stadium, March 28-31.

Douglas Orane, chairman and chief executive officer at Grace-Kennedy Limited, said his company, which also sponsors all the schoolboy cricket competitions, is pleased to be associated with the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) once again.

"We were delighted when they approached us and asked us to be the new sponsor," Orane said.

"GraceKennedy is always looking at ways to give back to Jamaica, particularly to our young people. Champs provides us with the ideal channel to do so and this is a way also where we can work with a group of people in ISSA who are very professional and ordered in the way they organise their events," he said.

GraceKennedy replaces long-time sponsors Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) which ended its association with the meet a week ago, saying the company was pursuing new 'strategic directions'.

Clement Radcliffe, president of ISSA, was elated with the new sponsorship.

According to him, the sponsorship has come with financial security for ISSA, as the financial injection from the title sponsors combined with that of the associate sponsors will underwrite the cost of holding the meet.

The ISSA president said their aim was always to be able to finance champs before competition starts at the National Stadium and, according to him, this has finally happened.

"So even before we go to the stadium, we are able to finance champs this year," he boasted.

Last year, the champs price tag was $13m but Radcliffe said it's too early to say how much it would cost this year.

"It's very difficult to say. We know it will be beyond that ... Maybe going towards $18-20 million," he said while making it clear that the sponsors have things covered.

Participating companies

Orane also made it clear that although GraceKennedy will be the lead brand, other companies in the group such as Rapid True-Value, First Global, Jamaica International Insurance Company Limited, Tropical Rhythms, Springtime, Bill Express, and GKRS/Western Union will be involved.

Meanwhile, chairman of the championships' organising committee, Wolmer's Boys Principal David Myrie, said they would be announcing other sponsors within weeks. Cable & Wireless and Puma were two associate sponsors last year.