I first met Professor Errol Morrison, then Dr Morrison, the diabetes expert out of Excelsior, in October 1987, when Dr Lawson Douglas, an outstanding schoolboy goalkeeper out of Kingston College, referred me to him.

Since then, I have been one of his patients, and I have found him to be, not only a master doctor, but also a wonderful person.

I have also found him to be, not only someone who loves sports, but also someone who knows about sports and who understands the importance of sports.

Sometime ago I read where Dr Morrison, president of the University of Technology, had announced plans to expand the university to include a western campus which would facilitate some two thousand and more students and a sports centre which would serve the university, the community, and the country.

In the plan, however, was a request to the Government to transfer the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium to the university to be used as the campus.

I liked the idea. A few days ago, however, I read where the Government had turned down the request, and most importantly, where Dr Morrison had said, in a nutshell, well, so be it.

I was very disappointed. I was not really disappointed in the Government's decision. In fact, I expected it.

Knowing Dr Morrison, however, I was disappointed in his decision to quit, and as one in sports, as one who loves sports, as one who understand the importance of sports and moreso of education to the country, I am asking him, I am begging him, as one who loves sports, as a highly educated man, as one who is involved in the education of the people, as one who understands the importance of sports and moreso of education to the country, not to quit.

I am asking him to stay, to stand up, and to fight.

The Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium was built for the World Cup of Cricket in 2007. Originally there was talk about hosting the World Cup matches in Jamaica away from Sabina Park, the idea was to host the matches at the proposed Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, that was voted against on two occasions by a committee set up to look at Jamaica hosting the World Cup.

White elephant

It was eventually built to host the opening ceremony and a few warm-up matches, and, but for a football match or two, a cricket match or two, and a few cricket matches by Trelawny while playing at home in the Jamaica Cricket Association competition, it has been nothing but a 'white elephant' - a run-down, mostly idle stadium which, according to reports, is costing the Government at least one million dollars a month to maintain.

According to Dr Morrison, the stadium, if handed over to UTech, would serve as its western campus thus, providing education for many Jamaicans.

Equally important, however, is that the university, the home of the successful MVP Track Club and, up until quite recently, the home of the IAAF's Regional High Performance Centre, would run a top class sports centre which would not only serve the university but also the community around it and the country.

The Government, however, has said that it wants to keep the stadium mainly for sports - at least to be a part of its sports tourism programme, a place to attract the big franchises of American professional sport, and if that could become a reality, nothing would be wrong with that.

For years, however, the Govern-ment, past and present, talked and has been talking about sports tourism, nothing has ever been done about it - not even a hall of fame where tourists, spending a few dollars, can go and marvel at Jamaica's grand and glorious achievements, and it is a safe bet that when the memories of Beijing and Berlin have faded, even the talk about sports tourism will stop.

Ever since the idea to build the stadium in Trelawny was being conceived, those in favour, the politicians, especially those from western Jamaica, and particularly those from Trelawny, talked about funding it after the World Cup.

Despite warnings against looking in that direction, in spite of reminders that there already existed, for example, baseball farms owned by the franchises in places like Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo, they said, loudly and confidently, that the American franchises would flock Jamaica, not only for their off-season training, but also for pre-season matches.

Up to now not even one franchise has been here to enjoy the sun, the sea, and whatever else Jamaica has to offer.

Dr Morrison, please do not give up the fight. Even if sports tourism becomes a reality, as it should, the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium is not a necessity.

Sports tourism does not need a stadium. What tourism needs to benefit from sports are people who fully appreciate the amount of money that could come into the national kitty from such a marriage, people with the will to market Jamaica's greatness in sports, and people who will put together a lasting monument, something like a hall of fame, that tourists will pay to see.

It also needs to invite people, schools, clubs, and whoever or whatever from all over the world to come to Jamaica to eat the same food and to drink the same water, and to play on the same fields and under the same sun as champions like George Headley and Michael Holding, Herb McKenley and Usain Bolt, Lindy Delapenha and Ricardo Gardner, Michael McCallum, Patricia McDonald and Romelda Aiken, Grace Jackson, Merlene Ottey, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser, and Brigitte Foster-Hylton.

Better facilities needed

On the other hand, Western Jamaica needs a place where the members of the community can go to educate themselves, with such a love for sports, with such a gift for sports, with such a history in sports, Jamaica needs more and better sports facilities in our top educational institutions, and especially so, facilities which, as promised by Dr Morrison, will be open to the community and to the national associations.

A stadium that is hardly used for anything, a stadium that is nothing more than a 'white elephant', and a stadium which, on top of everything else, is sitting idle in the wilderness and is costing the country so much money to maintain, is a perfect location.

It would be like killing two birds with one stone.