Olivia Grange, Minister of Entertainment and Sport, in welcoming the return to ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships with spectators, has said Jamaica derives significant economic benefit from what is the premier secondary school athletic championship in the world.

In a statement on Monday (April 4), Minister Grange noted that, “because of the long and distinguished legacy of CHAMPS, there is a consistent increase in visitor arrival to Jamaica during the period leading up to the mega event”.

“While the support from high school alumni and Jamaicans in the diaspora who invest in and return to Jamaica for Champs is unquantified at this time, there is a marked stimulation in the economy which can be attributed to CHAMPS,” said the minister.

“The city of Kingston, for example, benefits from an increase in occupancy of hotels, guesthouses, Airbnb-type facilities and private homes. This is also reflected in the local retail and transportation sectors. Through CHAMPS, there is both a direct and indirect co-relation to educational and employment opportunities,” added Grange.

Grange also acknowledged the increased, CHAMPS-specific merchandising on the part of schools, the opportunity for broadcast revenue, and prospects for large and small entrepreneurs—from event managers to peanut vendors.

“There are several industries and families that benefit from the staging of Champs. So CHAMPS is not only great for sports development, but it generates significant economic activity as well. I am happy that GraceKennedy continues to support CHAMPS by being the lead sponsor in this mega schoolboy and schoolgirl event. I commend also all the others for their support,” continued Grange.

The crippling impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on organisers, the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), was not missed by Grange, who conceded the agency took a massive financial hit.

“The fallout caused by COVID-19 was huge. Loss reported by ISSA since the pandemic is approximately J$320 million in gross income and J$120 million in net income over the two-year period. Even though the championship was cancelled in 2020, ISSA reported losses of J$14.5 million for expenses incurred prior to the cancellation,” said Grange.

“The net returns from CHAMPS are used to cover the operational cost of ISSA, which gets no funding outside of their sponsorship arrangements and gate receipts from competitions held. The impact of the cancellation of CHAMPS in 2020 also meant that schools lost out on funding usually paid out to them by ISSA from the gross income generated from CHAMPS. Unsponsored competitions for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons were also adversely affected,” the minister explained further.

According to Minister Grange, ISSA estimates that the financial fallout from individual schools, vendors and sponsors directly related to expenditure related to CHAMPS preparation in 2020 was approximately J$500,000.

Young Jamaican student-athletes were also affected by the pandemic, as without CHAMPS, talent scouts did not make the journey to Kingston’s National Stadium to see the sporting spectacle in full display.

“The prospect for scholarship opportunities was also stymied during the last two years since scouts, particularly from United States-based colleges and universities, attend CHAMPS to look for outstanding talent,” contended the minister.

“CHAMPS is also a family event and many visitors, Jamaican and non-Jamaican, are known to book vacations either before or after the five-day festival. With the cancellation of the 2020 staging and the staging in 2021 without spectators, Jamaica would not have benefitted from visitors who would have extended their stay to vacation in other parts of the island. The sponsors would also have been negatively impacted as the lack of exposure of their brands most likely translated in reduced profits,” Grange disclosed.

Nonetheless, several operational improvements were made by ISSA, and with CHAMPS’ glorious return, and the removal of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA), Grange also welcomes the electrifying atmosphere characteristic of the high school event.

“In 2021, even though CHAMPS was staged, it was done behind closed doors. This resulted in losses of J$70 million. For this year, ISSA projects that their earnings will return to pre-COVID figures despite the significant increase in inflation,” said the minister.

“While there were losses in 2021 because of a spectator-less staging of the championship, there was an increase in the pay-per-view modality. This provided the opportunity for ISSA and its sponsors to engage untapped markets,” she added.

The hybrid staging of the 2022 championship and the focus on online sales now promotes a more efficient way to market and host major sport events, according to Grange.

“The Government of Jamaica supported the staging of CHAMPS in 2021 and is doing so again in 2022; in a number of ways including consultations and facilitation with the planning for hosting of events under the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) to include assistance to develop protocols which received approval both in 2021 and 2022,” she noted.

Grange was proud the Government of Jamaica, through her ministry, committed to CHAMPS’ continuation during the difficult pandemic years.

“In 2022, financial assistance through the Sport Development Foundation (SDF) to support regional and developmental meets which received little or no corporate sponsorship. This was done through $10 million to the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA) for staging of development meets (seniors and juniors included); $2.6 million towards CHAMPS qualifying meets (Corporate Area, Western, Eastern and Central) and $500,000 towards Velocity Fest which includes seniors and high school athletes,” said the minister.

“Facilitation of the hosting of Champs and other development meets at government-owned facilities (National Stadium and GC Foster College) at discounted rates. Welcome back CHAMPS; welcome back spectators. Let the games begin!” Grange exclaimed.