ANDRé LOWE, STAFF Reporter

Speaking in relation to news that promising young sprinter Jacques Harvey has switched allegiance to Turkey, Olympic and World Championships medalist and third vice-president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Michael Frater does not fear this becoming the norm, but expressed empathy with the situation.

Frater, who won silver at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, said that the country's depth in the sprints and by extension, the difficulties to qualify to represent the island at major international championships and gain exposure to earn a living on the circuit has made it understandable if an athlete decides to defect to another country.

He does not however, expect this to happen frequently, underlining that athletes, especially those in events that carry a wide pool of talent in Jamaica must think about their future when making such a decision.

"We are loaded in certain areas, and I don't think it's a phenomenon; only a few athletes have actually defected to other countries and what we have to understand is that track and field is a livelihood for many athletes.

"A lot of them, especially in the sprints, may be stifled and are not able to earn a proper living because of the level of the competition here and how difficult it is to make the teams," Frater said.

Harvey, 25, was the 100m champion at the 2011 World University Games. The former Wolmer's and Rusea's High School student has also represented Jamaica at Central America and Caribbean Games as well as the NACAC Under ñ 23 Championships in 2010.

He has a personal best of 10.04 seconds in the 100m set in August 2013, ironically in Ankara, Turkey; and 20.44 seconds in the 200m, a time he registered in Belgium in July 2013.

Frater, whose focus on the JAAA administration includes athlete relations, empathised particularly with sprinters who find themselves on the fringes here in Jamaica and noted that there is not much that an administration can do, adding that it must be a personal decision for athletes considering a similar path.

"I personally won't criticise an athlete for taking that decision. On one hand, you have to make a living, and you have to follow your heart," said Frater.

"If an athlete is displeased with their position and wants to change their allegiance to another country, we have never been a country or an association to hold anybody back," added Frater.

Other notable athletes to have switched allegiances include Merlene Ottey (Slovenia), Germaine Mason (Great Britain), Julian Reid, (Great Britain), Brandon Simpson (Bahrain), and Sandra Farmer-Patrick (United States).