For the last few months, several Jamaican athletes have declared their intention to represent other nations.

Minister with responsibility for sports, Natalie Neita-Headley, said Jamaica's talent pool is too great for such a small nation, but argued that one has to take advantage of opportunities for improvement.

Although she is not against athletes switching allegiance, she warned that we have to protect against talent drain.

"I am not happy for anyone to just leave our shores, but where opportunities arise, and persons can take advantage of that opportunity, we should," she said.

"I don't want to stifle our young people, but opportunities like that exist elsewhere, and we must be able to look deeper than the surface," said Neita-Headley.

She added that the same joy expressed for footballers who get contracts is not shared when track and field athletes get opportunities.

"So what I say in the case of the athlete is that the JAAA uses this wisdom as to how and when we can do this; we don't have a drain on our talent pool," she stressed.

In most cases, other countries offer Jamaican athletes more lucrative payment packages in return for their services.

However, she insisted there is a process and that the JAAA still has a say in whether an athlete leaves or goes.

"It's impossible to pay them full-time. We are grateful to those who are willing to stay and make the sacrifice and we are putting all in place for them to be able to stay, but even in that period, there are others who will find opportunities elsewhere. The JAAA decided on who goes and when, because we don't want there to be a talent drain," she said.