Recently we commented, in these columns, on the effort by the University of Technology (UTech) to raise $65 million to develop a world-class sports facility at its campus.

That job, if properly approached and packaged, in the face of the Olympics, should have become substantially easier. Indeed, rather than seeing the UTech project as an end in itself, it should be part of a broader package of Jamaica seeking to leverage the performance of its athletes in Beijing.

Today, for instance, Jamaica is likely to have added another medal or two to the five it has already won on the tracks in Beijing, and Usain Bolt, if he isn't already, will perhaps be the most recognisable man in the world. And the questions will continue to pour on what, for 60 years, has made Jamaica this seeming assembly line of sprinting talent.

Substantial transformation

What adds intrigue to the matter these days is that in the past, the Jamaican phenomenon might have been partially explained with the argument that we 'exported' raw material that were taken through "substantial transformation" abroad. That is to say most of our top athletes went abroad to United States universities on athletics scholarships where American coaches could lay claim to have refined rough talent.

Increasingly, however, Jamaican world beaters are nurtured entirely at home, as has been the case with Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt and two of the three young women - Shelly-Ann Fraser and Sherone Simpson - who took top places in the women's 100 metres race. Kerron Stewart, the other of the top three, has had some experience in the American college system.

UTech, working in conjunction with the MVP Track Club, working with world-class coaches, plays a major part in this. Its athletics project is the most advanced of any tertiary institution in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

The issue now is how to expand what exists there into a centre of excellence, beyond what is obvious in its human resource. Beijing provides an opportunity not only for UTech, but for other institutions and the wider community.

Sporting equipment

In the larger scheme of things, the approximately US$1 million being sought by UTech is minuscule, particularly when viewed in the context of the marketing and promotion budgets of the global sporting equipment and apparel companies - the Nikes, the Pumas, etc. Some of these companies currently have endorsement agreements with Jamaican athletes.

It would seem, to us, entirely possible to entice such companies to create endowments for the development of schools/facilities of athletic excellence at UTech and the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies. Such schools/faci-lities would be involved in the training of athletes as well as genuine academic research.

At the same time, we expect that Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange would be maximising her visit to China by attempting to broaden Sino/Jamaica cooperation in this field. The Chinese financed the Trelawny stadium for the Cricket World Cup last year. They might consider upgrading it into a multifunctional sporting facility, where regular athletics events might be held, leveraging its proximity to the north coast tourist resorts. Jamaica might help the Chinese in the development of their track athletics, while they could contribute in areas in which they have achieved excellence.

All this, of course, fits easily in Minister Edmund Bartlett's plan to develop sports-based tourism, which he is supposed to be pursuing in China. It would be a waste if we were to let the opportunity pass.