Jamaican Olympians Feted at New York Music Festival

Thousands of concert fans who attended the 2008 staging of Irie Jamboree in Queens, New York, on Sunday, August 31, used the occasion to show their appreciation for the record-breaking performance of Jamaican and Caribbean athletes at the just concluded 29th Olympiad in Beijing, China.
Billed in part as a ‘salute to our Caribbean athletes’, the massive crowd, estimated at 35,000, saved its biggest cheer for sprinter Aileen Bailey and long jumper Chelsea Hammond, who went on stage to accept tokens for “a job well done,” according to Robert Clarke, of Irie Jam Media, producers of the one-day festival, which was staged at the Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, New York.
For the special presentation the athletes were joined by Lois Grant, of Irie Jam Media; United States Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke; her mother and former New York City Councilwoman Una Clarke; Marketing Manager Marlon Davis, with Digicel Jamaica; Garfield Comrie of Western Union, and Irwine Clare, Sr. of ‘Team Jamaica Bickle.’
The ‘Usain Bolt Media Tent’, was officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony at midday during set (band) changes, the crowd went into a frenzy each time video clips of the races were seen on the two giant screens. A number of the performers dedicated portions of their sets to the athletes. Soca diva Alison Hinds invited the flag-waving audience to, “put down the violence and jump for unity in the Caribbean community.”
The show, which climaxed the outdoor season, enjoyed good sets from entertainers Taurus Riley, Sizzla, Mavado, Coco Tea, Admiral Bailey, Elephant Man, and Beenie Man.