The Editor, Sir:

With bikini-clad young women escorting our male Olympians, bare-chested young men pulling our female Olympians in fruit and vegetable-shaped coaches, poorly choreographed and inane displays of 'song' and 'dance' and commercial sponsors' logos vying for space with the black, green and gold, much of last Saturday night's 'cultural' tribute to our Beijing champions is proof that if a thing cannot be done properly, it should not be done at all.

Lack of coordination

Time and space will not permit a detailed description of what images of half-naked men and women, promotion of corporate interests and materialistic values and a shameless lack of coordination at this national event seem to indicate about how the organisers see or wish to celebrate us as individuals, and as a country.

Luckily, this crass vulgarity can never diminish the tremendous achievements of our Beijing athletes and indeed all our Olympic champions, achievements which prove the enduring value of Jamaican discipline, hard work, persistence, innovation and family, school and community support systems.

I am, etc.,

GAIL HOAD

ghoad@yahoo.com

Via Go-Jamaica