Major Jamaican athletics event renamed to honour Vincentian coach and another

Athletics coach – Mr. Michael ‘Mercy’ Ollivierre.

By Admin. Updated 10:59 a.m., Sunday, January 28, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

A major athletics event at the school level in Jamaica is being renamed in part to honour a Vincentian coach and a Jamaican coach.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, the organisers of The STETHS Invitational track and field meet have decided on a rename when the annual event occurs next year.

“The major meet on the track and field calendar will now be called the Ollivierre/Smith Invitational track and field meet,” the Gleaner reported on January 27.

The rename honours the contributions of Vincentian coach Micheal ‘Mercy’ Ollivierre and Jamaican coach – Eldemire Smith (now deceased).

The announcement of the rename “was made earlier today as the meet reeled out tomorrow’s stars at the St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth,” the Gleaner reported on January 27.

The Gleaner said Michael Ollivierre, one of the founders of the STETHS Invitational, spoke to them and said “he feels extremely honoured”.

Mr. Olliviere is a Vincentian who has invested much of his life in Jamaica. He fathers two children including musical star – Protégé and Le Ann Ollivierre. He is married to Jamaican musician Lorna Bennett.

In St. Vincent, he is called Mike “Mercy” Ollivierre and is the founder in the leading youth athletics club called ITDAT Academy.

On the STETHS meet in Jamaica, Olliviere said: “We started the meet because of the extreme cost of travelling to Kingston every weekend. We had the immediate support from schools like Manning’s, Kingston College, and Holmwood came after. It was out of necessity and we didn’t know it would grow to this extent,” according to a report by the Gleaner.

“STETHS invitational began in 1983, making this its 40th staging,” the Gleaner reported.

“Keith Wellington, president of ISSA, principal of STETHS and meet organiser, said Ollivierre and Smith played tremendous roles in the growth of the annual track meet,” the Gleaner reported.

Mr. Ollivierre (2nd from left) sits with his family holding an award he received from the STETHS organisers. Photo by a family member.

The other individual in whose honor the event has been renamed is Eldermire Smith.

“Last year we lost Eldemire Smith just before the staging of the track and field meet. The past students had some discussions about both men’s efforts and the contributions they made. Coming out of that discussion, we made a recommendation that bearing in mind that they both started the meet 40 years ago and their development of the meet, we would name it after them,” Wellington explained, according to the Gleaner report.

“GraceKennedy is title sponsor of the meet, which had 86 events and 51 participating schools,” the Gleaner reported.