TURKS AND CAICOS – A Turks and Caicos media team will debut a half hour special on their trip to Jamaica during the homecoming celebrations of the Jamaican Olympic team of the Beijing, China Summer Games.
The show will air on two television stations in The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos, but the world can also watch via their TV website: www.TurksandCaicosonTV.com. The show debuts on line on Jamaican Independence Day August 6, 2009.
Last summer the world sat waiting in front of their televisions sets for the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China. The people of The Caribbean were no exception and arguably one of the nations which was most thrilled about the coming of the Athletics portion of the international sports meet, was Jamaica.
Not only did the Jamaica recently see a toppling of the world record (formerly held by Jamaican Asapha Powell) just months ahead of The Games by another Jamaican, Trelawny native, Usain Bolt, but it also had optimism about the performance of the female sprinters which included Veronica Campbell-Brown.
Overall, Team Jamaican brought home 11 medals, six of which were gold.
To the delight of millions of Jamaicans none of its athletes were a disappointment, and on the whole The Caribbean could celebrate because there were outstanding performances from other nations, namely: Cuba earned 24; Dominican Republic got two; Trinidad and Tobago with two and The Bahamas with two.
The Magnetic Media team was led by Deandrea Hamilton, veteran journalist, included Angelica Lightbourne, Miss Turks and Caicos 2007-2008 and Adrain Stubbs of One Take Productions. The adventure was sponsored by Air Turks and Caicos and Building Materials Ltd DoitCenter and the expedition allowed the crew to get up close and personal with the athletes, the fans, their relatives and officials of Jamaica.
The TV crew captured the gold, green and black clad fans which turned out by the tens of thousands at every stop. The crew spoke to legendary Jamaican athletes and entertainers about the momentous occasion and they followed the celebrations from the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston to the National Stadium in Trelawny.
“It was amazing to see how the people of Jamaica came out, and showed true joy at the achievement of these amazingly humble and talented athletes. It brought tears to my eyes many times to see the sincere delight and national pride on the faces of even the older Jamaicans. We even met Jamaicans who came home to be a part of the week of events. It was certainly one of the best times for Jamaica,” said Ms. Hamilton.
The TV show will feature tribute performances by Beenie Man, Elephant Man, The Three I’s and Morgan Heritage. The TCI team was embraced by the Jamaican media as well.
“We made fast friends with a crew from TVJ (Montego Bay), and we would like to especially thank Latoya Johnson who not only showed us where to get a Juicy Patty, but also gave us direction when it came to that Montego Bay motorcade. Now that was a sight beyond words… I had never before seen so many people and seen such dedication of a nation to stand for hours just to get a fleeting glimpse of Olympians and to be a part of history.”
And it is historic. Jamaica can now say they have the fastest man in the world ever, and with Asapha Powell’s records still on the books, they can also proclaim that they have the second fastest man in him. During the Games, the ladies of the team also proved themselves big time by sweeping the Women’s 100m with Shelly-Ann Fraser leading the way; gaining a gold and bronze in the 200m, and capturing more golden hardware in the women’s hurdles.
Hamilton remembers the pause for prayer by Melanie Walker after a triumphant stretch in that hurdles finals.
Welcome home reception for Jamaican Athletes
“For people in the Caribbean, giving God the glory is important and Melanie Walker especially stood out at the Games when she knelt down to pray before giving any interviews after she had secured her gold medal. When our crew interviewed Ms. Walker, she was so full of life and fun and flair. She even gave us some insight into her unique hairstyles.”
The TV show “When Champions Come Home” will also highlight the fireworks displays and some of the tour of Kingston including the famous Blue Mountains and the Bob Marley Museum.
