So last week this time I was getting my suit ready to attend the RJR Sports Foundation Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards. I was really looking forward to it because I wanted to see Alia Atkinson cop the sportswoman of the year title. I was also looking forward to seeing Nicolas 'Axe Man' Walters claim his award as well.

Both athletes were truly well deserving of their awards, having overcome not only quality international, competition, but also Jamaica's powerful track and field contingent, members of which had outstanding performances in 2014 even if there was no major championship.

It was also particularly pleasing that each delivered powerful acceptance speeches. Both were great and for entirely different reasons.

What was equally memorable, but for all the wrong reasons, was the performance of one of the guest artistes, Ikaya, a young woman of some talent, but a distinct lack of understanding of the occasion.

Chosen songs

The RJR Sports Foundation awards ceremony is an event where the country celebrates the best of Jamaican sports, one of the few things right with this country. It is not a dancehall, not a stage show, not Sumfest or Saddle to the East or similar occasion. So I would assume that if someone was being called upon to perform, I would have believed that they would have chosen songs suitable for the occasion.

My understanding is that Ikaya had agreed to perform other songs, but for some reason went a cappella with Ugly Girl, a song about a woman catching her man cheating with an ugly girl. Early in the song there is a line "he was on his back she was on her knees, I swear I could hear her say baby please." Right then and there I retreated to the well-appointed bar at the Jamaica Pegasus to buy myself a drink. I could not believe what I had just heard.

The Appleton and Coke helped soften the impact of the dreadfully inappropriate lyrics, so I paid and went over to the café where I ordered a sandwich. I then joined five-time Olympian Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn and friends who were seated at a nearby table passing the time. As soon as I sat, Juliet mentioned the unfortunate lyrics and how inappropriate they were for the occasion and almost as quickly everybody agreed.

Sponsors reacted

We were all in agreement that Ikaya possesses talent, but she needed to understand that ceremony was not the time or place for them. I don't know if TVJ was broadcasting that particular performance, but, if they were, I would hope that the production people would have had the presence of mind to cut to commercial or maybe that nice Jamaica National advertisement.

Speaking of advertising, I can only imagine how the sponsors reacted.

For those unable to 'cut away' the damage had already been done. Two days later, people were still messaging me asking my opinion on the young woman's performance and the Ugly Girl song. To each I responded with 'smh'.

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