She said the administration recognises the full value of sports in boosting economic activity, bringing people together, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, raising national and international profiles, and inculcating positive values and attitudes.

"Through sports, we can develop the qualities of hard work, discipline, team work, dedication to task, and fair play. If we take these qualities into life, then we have more than a good chance of succeeding," the Minister stated on October 19, as she addressed the 7th Annual Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.

She said 40 sporting organisations benefit from a monthly subvention from the state, noting that "our sport federations will not achieve their goals without public funding".

The Courtney Walsh Award was implemented in 2004 to recognise the achievements of a Jamaican, age 18 to 40 years, who displays a high level of humility, integrity, discipline and other exemplary qualities, while excelling in the field of sports.

The winner of the award, which is sponsored by the Culture Health Arts Science and Education Fund, receives $500,000 and a trophy.

The 2011 awardee is former track and field athlete, Dr Neil Gardner. In accepting the award, the hurdler, who represented Jamaica at the Olympic level, encouraged the young people in attendance to always strive to be the best at what they do.

"Without excellence, where will we be 10 or 20 years from now? If we didn't have excellent trailblazers, would we have been here tonight? If our leaders of yesterday decided that they would hold back, pull back, shirked because they were too afraid, would we have been elevated to be where we are tonight?" he questioned.

"I am committing myself to never shirk, to never allow myself to not be a motivator and inspirer, and someone who will blaze a trail for others," Gardner said.

Gardner, a chiropractor neurologist, has a practice in New Kingston. Previous winners of the award are: cricketers Jimmy Adams and Nehemiah Perry; netballer Elaine Davis; track and field athletes Deon Hemmings-McCatty, Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Aleen Bailey.