Amid growing challenges that have thrown parts of Jamaica’s track and field calendar into uncertainty and forced the cancellation of some meets, organisers of the Camperdown Classic are pressing ahead with the 21^st staging of the event, scheduled for February 14 at a new venue.

The meet, which has been moved from the National Stadium, will now be held at Ashenheim Stadium, Jamaica College, as promoters adjust to the realities facing the local athletics circuit.

Against that backdrop, Carlene Edwards, head of sponsorship and promotions at the JN Group, used the official media launch to challenge athletes to see sports as more than winning medals, urging them to focus “beyond the finish line” and on the character and life lessons built through competition.

“Being involved in sports means far more than your next race or your next meet. It prepares you for life,” Ms Edwards, who was guest speaker at the launch, told the gathering inside the Camperdown High School library on February 4.

Ms Edwards, who also serves in several sporting administrative roles, primarily in football, and who recently received an international appointment to a committee of FIFA, said the current climate reinforces the need for stronger systems to support sports development at the grassroots level.

She noted that while talent often draws attention, success is sustained through structure, support and conviction, qualities she said were crucial in keeping events like the Camperdown Classic alive even as other competitions face instability.