Grace Jackson speaks with athletes at last year's UWI Gatorade Invitational launch. - File

Leighton Levy, Star Writer

"It's Gatorade country! No question about it," declared Grace Jackson, director of sports development at the University of the West Indies, as she spoke about the impact of Gatorade on sports at the university over the past decade.

She was speaking shortly after the recent launch of the UWI Invitational which will be staged tomorrow, at the UWI/Usain Bolt Track on the Mona Campus.

Significant results

Over the past decade, the UWI has seen a gradual development in its sports programme and this has yielded significant results. Not only has the university realised success in its netball, volleyball and hockey programmes, there has also been significant growth in track and field as well. Just last year, Hansle Parchment and Jason Young won gold medals at the World University Games in Shenzen, China, marking a significant milestone for the university. The campus, through its longstanding relationship with Racers Track Club, is also home to two of the fastest men in history, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.

According to Jackson, an Olympic silver medalist in the 200 metres, a lot of these accomplishments would not have been possible without the help of Gatorade.

"Our budget is very small and so we have to go out and buffer that with assistance," she said.

"Most times companies don't have cash to give, so what are the things that we can get in kind. The amount of powder or Gatorade we get from them, we get for every event that we are hosting. We get it for the athletes who are in training and it helps to prevent injuries. It gets very hot out there on that track so rehydration is a very important part of our nutritional support, so we are very happy that they have come on board and have stayed on board."

A grateful Jackson said the support is invaluable.

Carlo Redwood, head of marketing in Jamaica for Pepsi, owners of the Gatorade brand believes the partnership with the university has been mutually beneficial. Gatorade, he said, has always been a part of the sports programme at the university generally and that partnership has been about the development of sports, specifically athletics in Jamaica.

"Bolt and that association, obviously helps as well," he said.

According to Redwood, the association is largely responsible for their significant investment in the UWI Invitational that will feature some of the island's top stars and medal contenders for the coming Summer Games in London, including Brigitte Foster Hylton and Jermaine Gonzales. "Right now we only pick specific meets that we focus on, the Gibson Relays being one, and the UWI Meet being two."