Brian George (left), president and chief executive officer of Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL), hands over the sponsorship cheque for the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)/SVL National Junior and Senior Athlethics Championships to Howard Aris (centre), president of the JAAA, and Ludlow Watts, chairman, Organising Committee, during the launch event at the Acropolis Gaming and Entertainment Centre in Barbican yesterday. - Ian Allen

Four of Jamaica's top athletes have the option of not competing at this year's National Senior Championships, which will be held at the National Stadium from June 23-26, as they have already achieved the objective, which is to select the nation's team to the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea.

The four athletes in question are defending world 100m and 200m champion Usain Bolt, defending world 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, defending 400m hurdles champion Melaine Walker, and defending 100m hurdles champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton. The four athletes automatically qualify for this year's World Championships by virtue of having won their events at the 2009 World Championship.

The rules are very clear

"The rules are very clear; the IAAF in its wisdom has decided to give what it calls wild cards to those athletes who won certain events at the previous World Championships," president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), Howard Aris, explained, while speaking at the press conference to announce Supreme Ventures Limited's (SVL) sponsorship of the JAAA 2011 Track and Field programme, held yesterday at the Acropolis, Barbican. "Those athletes (Bolt, Fraser-Pryce, Walker and Foster-Hylton) fit into that category so, automatically, they are eligible to compete at the (World) Championships," he added.

All of the athletes who have already qualified for the World Championships, with the exception of Bolt, form part of the Maximum Velocity Performance (MVP) Track Club and, according to club president Bruce James, all three athletes are scheduled to participate at the upcoming trials.

"Based on the discussions that I have had with the coaching staff at MVP, the plan is for our three defending world champions to participate at the National Championships," James disclosed. "The event or events in which they will participate are yet to be finalised, but that is the plan (for them to participate).

"However, if at the time of the championships it is not in their best interest to participate, then they won't, but as of now, based on my coaching staff feedback, the plan is for Melaine (Walker), Brigitte (Foster-Hylton) and Shelly-Ann (Fraser-Pryce) to all participate at this year's national championships," he added.

Both the National Junior Championships, which will be held from June 11-12, and the senior championships will be sponsored SVL. The gaming company has injected $9.3m into this year's programme, which represents a $6m increase over last year.

'Based on the discussions that I have had with the coaching staff at MVP, the plan is for our three defending world champions to participate at the National Championships.'