Top Jamaican Athletes For New York Int’l Sports Award – Saturday, February 3, 2007, New York City

Asafa Powell of Jamaica, the world’s fastest human alive, will be honored at an International Sports Awards (ISA) banquet in New York on Saturday, February 3, 2007.

Powell, world record holder in the 100 meters event and voted Male Athlete of the Year
Bt the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), is among an impressive list of personalities from the wide world of sports who are being recognized for their accomplishments in their various disciplines by the International Sports Group (ISG), a NY based consortium headed by Jamaican entrepreneur Patrick Payne.

The list of honourees include; Sherone Simpson – the most outstanding female athlete for 2006 and a MVP Clubmate of Powell; Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, CD, OD, – the former president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) and now a IAAF Hemispheric Representative; Rev. Canon Dr. Gervais Clarke, regarded by many as one of the best judge/administrator of track & field athletics competition; Dr. Gladstone O. ‘Bunny’ Byfield, noted FIFA Instructor (soccer); Mark Smith, golf instructor/businessman of Moments Golf Club, NY, and Walter Henning, the current world junior record holder in the Hammer Throw event.

Consul General of Jamaica to New York, Dr. Basil K. Bryan will serve as patron of the awards banquet which will be held at the Long Island Marriott Hotel, Uniondale, starting at 7:00 pm.

In making the announcement at a planning meeting last week, Mr. Payne, CEO of Bestseller Bookstore and Founder/Executive Director of the Island Games (Track & Field Athletics), said that the ISA was yet another attempt to recognize and to highlight the positive contributions of Caribbean Americans to the cultural mosaic of these United States.

He said that no one should want to forget the brilliant performances of Powell and Simpson on and off the oval surface in 2006.

According to Mr. Payne, the ISA will be used to officially launch the second staging of the Island Games on Sunday, June 10, 2007 at the Mitchell Field Athletic Complex, Uniondale.

The ISA banquet is being sponsored in part by Jamstar Enterprises, Air Jamaica Limited and the New York Carib News. Part proceeds will benefit a number of ongoing projects and programs including scholarships at the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education, Jamaica.

For additional information, interested parties may call/contact: 516-564-5103, [email protected]