Usain Bolt

Television Jamaica (TVJ) announced at the weekend that it had secured the exclusive right to produce and market a DVD with highlights of the station's Beijing 2008 Olympic Games coverage.

According to a release from TVJ the deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also provides the local television station with the exclusive right to distribute the DVD throughout the English-speaking Caribbean. "We are delighted that Jamaicans will soon be able to purchase the limited edition, collector's item titled "Gold Rush: Jamaica's 2008 Olympic Athletics Show," TVJ's general manager, Kay Osborne said in the release.

Overwhelming demand

She added: "There is an overwhelming demand for the DVD from companies that want to purchase copies as gifts for their clients and for promotional purposes and from individuals who want to purchase copies for their own collections and to give as gifts to friends and family overseas who were unable to watch the action live on TVJ."

The DVD footage will include Usain Bolt's astonishing world-record performances, gold medal performances of Shelly-Ann Fraser, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Melaine Walker, the per-formance of Jamaica's men's 4x100m relay team with Bolt on the third leg and former world-record holder Asafa Powell on the anchor and the silver medal performances of Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson.

TVJ's sales team will begin taking DVD orders from corporate clients on October 3, the day official homecoming celebrations begin. TVJ will begin broadcasting retail sales information on this date as well. Part proceeds from the sale of the DVD will benefit Jamaican sports charities.