The 2025 ISSA Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championship, held at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, ended last weekend with Kingston College securing their 36th boys title and Hydel High achieving their second girls crown. However, the five-day meet was significantly marred by a series of controversies that have left many onlookers and participants bewildered.
There were contentious issues surrounding false start disqualifications, a breach of transfer quarter rules by Kingston College, and concerns regarding the timing equipment, incorporating questions raised, answers provided Anthony Davis, the meet manager, and the strong opinions expressed by the Calabar High head coach Cory Bennett.
Contentious False Start Disqualification
One of the most prominent controversies involved the retroactive disqualification of Calabar High’s Class One sprinter, Jamal Stevenson. He had completed his semi-final in a personal best of 10.38secs, earning a spot in the final, only to be removed from the starting lineup less than an hour before the race.
Calabar lodged an appeal before the final, but the final and medal ceremony proceeded while the appeal was still being heard. Stevenson was eventually reinstated on Friday but was given only one point and no opportunity to compete.
Reliance on World Athletics Rule 8.9
Competition’s director Anthony Davis cited World Athletics rule 8.9, which states that the medal ceremony marks the conclusion of the event, and any disputes or protests must be resolved before this point. No subsequent changes or appeals are permitted after the ceremony.
The Calabar fraternity expressed significant displeasure, with Stevenson holding a sign stating, “Apology not accepted,” after the Class One boys sprint relay final that he anchored and head coach Bennett strongly criticizing the organizers.
Bennett’s Didn’t Hold Back
Bennett felt “disappointed” and stated, “whenever you decide a championship in the computer room then you really don’t stand a chance”. He believed that a “boys club” is controlling the meet and preventing a fair game.
Regarding Stevenson, Bennett felt the young man was “robbed” in his first individual event. He mentioned that ISSA admitted it was their fault and that his request to hold the race until the decision was made was ignored.
Bennett deemed the offer of reinstatement with only one point as “disrespect”. • He suggested the need to bring in an “international crew to run this thing,” stating that local persons are “too biased”.
Meet Manager’s Response
Davis refuted the “boys club” accusation, stating that Champs is run by ISSA with an organizing committee and officials from various schools.
He confirmed that the retroactive disqualification is permitted under World Athletics rules if the reaction time at the end of the event suggests a false start (faster than 0.1 seconds). He clarified that the referee acted within their authority.
Davis explained that the issue arose when the coordinator identified that Stevenson’s reaction time was too fast. He stated that he had a lengthy discussion with Cory Bennett during the championships to explain the situation.
Davis Cites Lack of Communication
Regarding the protest, Davis claimed he “was unaware that a protest was being looked at” before the race. He asserted that without this knowledge, he had no basis to hold the race. This lack of communication was confirmed in the timeline.
Davis outlined the procedure for lodging a protest: coach to referee, referee to competition secretary, secretary to jury, and then to the competition director. He said that in this instance, the information wasn’t passed on to him.
He admitted that the communication process was a “weak point” and that a meeting would be held to discuss how things went wrong.
Calabar Wants to See WA Response
When asked if the Calabar fraternity might find it difficult to believe it was a genuine error, Davis responded, “not only can I understand; we feel embarrassed that something could fall through the crack”.
Calabar’s request for the report sent to World Athletics and the response, but Davis clarified that there was no written document; it was a telephone conversation among representatives from ISSA, NAAA, and the JAAA. He expressed uncertainty about why Calabar was requesting documentation, as this had been communicated.
When asked if a written confirmation could be retroactively obtained from World Athletics, Davis stated he was “reasonably certain that such a request we could put in and see what happens”.
Issues with Electronic Starting System
The championships also faced scrutiny regarding the reliability of the electronic timing system, evidenced by inconsistent reaction times. Reports included races with reaction times missing for some athletes, and others showing impossible values, such as negative 2.1 or negative 12 seconds.
Davis was quoted in a Jamaica Observer newspaper article stating that “there was no issue with the electronic timing system”.
Subsequent Admission of Potential Fault
Following further examination and the inconsistencies observed, Davis acknowledged that “regardless of what the status are saying that everything is fine with the equipment itself, we now have to go by the facts that we’re looking at”. He later noted that “our conclusion is that the equipment is faulty, and we have to look at that”.
• Starter’s Authority: Davis emphasized that as the competition director, he generally “cannot overrule the starter,” except in extreme circumstances. However, the jury can overturn a starter’s decision based on an appeal. Many overturned false start calls were due to inconsistencies in reaction times.
• Bennett described “the starting crew is the worst I’ve seen” and felt they caused a lot of doubt and trust in their decisions.
Questions Raised and Other Controversies
• If inconsistencies were apparent during the meet, why was the initial assessment that nothing was wrong with the electronic system?
• What specific recommendations will be made to the intersection regarding the handling of the starting system going forward?
Winner Kingston College’s Quota Breach A “breach of the transfer quarter rules by Kingston College” and a subsequent sanction, which left many onlookers bemused. This issue was scheduled for further discussion.