In congratulating Usain Bolt and Melonie Walker after they won gold in record-breaking times in the 200 metres and 400 metres, respectively, at the Olympics in Beijing, China, last August, Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce Golding admonished his countrymen that while they celebrated they "should also ensure that the nation becomes the symbol of all that is positive and uplifting."

Golding may have been making an indirect appeal to the criminals who are responsible for Jamaica having one of the highest crime rates in the world, to clean up their act and demonstrate some national pride so that Jamaica can reap maximum benefits from the groundswell of international exposure that their country was receiving as a result of the remarkable performances of its athletes in the 29th Olympiad.

There is no formula to calculate just how much international goodwill Jamaica has enjoyed as a result of the incredible achievements of its athletes, a fact which has some people wondering what is happening in Jamaica that has turned it into a factory for creating world-class athletes.

There is, of course, no mystery surrounding the high calibre of sports performers that Jamaica produces. That country's cricket players are among the best in the world and its "Reggae Boys" soccer team several years ago competed for the World Cup.

To be sure, a lot of the success that Jamaica enjoys in sports could be attributed to a wellspring of natural talent, but that factor is also true about other Caribbean islands, The Bahamas included. However, it would seem as if Jamaica has made a greater commitment to sports development by having well-organized, properly funded sports programs throughout its school system. In essence, what this means is that Jamaica has its priorities in place when it comes to sports development.

Indeed, a fact that the Jamaican Press highlighted with regard to the stellar performance of Bolt at the Olympics was that his skills were developed at home. Commenting on the Jamaican team's Olympic conquests, The Jamaica Gleaner had this to say: "What adds intrigue to the matter these days is that in the past, the Jamaican phenomenon might have been partially explained with the argument that we exported raw material that were taken through substantial transformation abroad. That is to say most of our top athletes went abroad to United States universities on athletics scholarships where American coaches could lay claim to have refined rough talent. Increasingly, however, Jamaican world beaters are nurtured entirely at home, as has been the case with Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt and two of the three young women – Shelly-Ann Fraser and Sherone Simpson - who took top places in the women's 100 metres race. Kerron Stewart, the other of the top three, has some experience in the American college system."

Virtually all of the Bahamian athletes who have had tremendous success at the Olympics were developed to that level at colleges in the United States, and considering the size of The Bahamas compared to Jamaica, this may be the best way to continue developing our sports talent. But with the College of The Bahamas on the brink of becoming a university, if proper training facilities are available locally, some of our potential sports stars may consider developing their skills right here in The Bahamas.

As far as funding is concerned, Jamaica does not have casinos, but it does have a national lottery. The Bahamas, on the other hand, has casinos, but is stubbornly refusing to introduce a lottery, from which funding can be obtained for sports development. That's certainly something for the Government to think about.