Seventh-day Adventists will be staying away from the television screen - at least for the first 24 hours of the games.

Adviser, consultant and special assistant to the minister of education, Robert Miller, said it is against his morals and values based on his Sabbath conviction .

"It is often very tempting to watch, especially the games. I love sports but watching the games goes against my belief of keeping the Sabbath holy," he said.

Miller said there had been other times when he has been caught between the sports he loves and religious conviction but his commitment to God is more important.

"I have been the assistant manager for the Bridgeport High School Manning Cup Team and I have never been to a game on Saturday, even the finals. Once it is on Sabbath, I will not go.

Miller is also an elder at the Spanish Town Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Teaching clear

President of the East Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventist, Adrian Cotterell, said the biblical teaching of Sabbath observation is clear.

"I would not watch or attend an event on the Sabbath because this is contrary to what I believe - that you should refrain from finding your own pleasure or doing your own thing. To tell you the truth, even if Bolt was my brother, I wouldn't watch," said Cotterell.

Members of the church have the same conviction about the Sabbath.

Walter Phillips, deputy chief inspector in the Ministry of Education, believes it is a clear-cut decision on religious conviction

"I'm a fan of track and field but I wouldn't watch an event on Saturday. For me it is a simple decision in that the instruction on the day is very clear - it is wrong to to do anything the Bible says is wrong to do on the day," said Phillips

Kevin, a member of the church, says even though he is a track and field fan and competed at games at the primary level, his Sabbath conviction comes first.

"The finals of most of the events I want to watch will not be on Saturday, so I can see it and experience all the anxiety as the events unfold," he said.