ANY LINGERING hope that anyone could have had of Jamaican sprint darling Veronica Campbell-Brown taking part in the 100m at the Olympic Games has now been snuffed out.

However, depending on what happens in Beijing, the topic will continue to be a hotly debated one for a long time.

The fact of the matter is that Campbell-Brown, whether she was caught out or not at the national trials, finished fourth and, barring some extenuating circumstances, just would not have taken part in the event. Those are the rules that have been set in place by the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association; that's fine, they must be obeyed. However, the question is: are the rules correct, or do they need to be improved upon?

US system

Posing this question to several colleagues and friends, I was pointed in the direction of the United States' system where, regardless of the situation, the first couple of athletes crossing the line are on the team, and that is it. I take the point but, could it be a case that the US system which, like ours, produces some of the world's best athletes, is also flawed? Of course, it could be.

Any system that bases its selection process on a one-off event will in some cases run into great difficulty, based on the simple premise that the best athlete for the event could be left out in the cold after a bad performance on the day.

The US has had a problem with this on several occasions, most recently the situation with 200m world champion Tyson Gay, their best medal hope in that event at the Olympic Games, being unable to compete in the half-lap event after stumbling at the US trials. Any system that will be used to select athletes for an event as important as the Olympic Games should be as error-proof as possible, and while not being overcritical of the current one, I doubt anyone could claim that it is such.

Taking the argument to a case of theoretical extremity, if both Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell had been guilty of second false starts, we would not have had them for the Olympic Games ... that certainly would have been very interesting.

In this particular case, however, while I believe Campbell-Brown would be considered our best medal prospect in the 100m at the Olympics, Kerron Stewart, Shelly-Ann Fraser and Sherone Simpson are more than capable of doing the nation proud.

With the big occasion more than about just a time on the flashboard, as former world record holder Powell will know, but more about experience, concentration and determination, no one dare question Campbell-Brown in that respect.

National pride

Campbell-Brown

While some may be dismissive of the issue as a cut-and-dried one, Jamaica's love affair with VCB is not only based on the fact that her beaming national pride is one of the most visible elements at any Games, but also that she delivers.

Despite your point of view, you must admit that those quick feet striding away from or after opponents is enough to give anyone goose bumps.

While I am not saying that the current rule should be ignored or bent in any way, we have seen before that it comes with its own set of difficulties (as in the Merlene Ottey-Peta-Gaye Dowdie row). Perhaps it should be examined to prevent a scenario which could potentially be more damaging.

Feedback: kwesi.mugisa@gleanerjm.com.