World 100 metres record holder Usain Bolt, former record holder Asafa Powell and Olympic gold medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown are to be recognised by the Government for their outstanding contributions to track and field.

Earlier this week, Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, told journalists that she planned to make an important announcement next week in relation to members of the Olympic team.

When contacted yesterday, Minister Grange declined to deny or confirm the reports that the three top athletes are to be given national honours.

Recommendations made

Informed sources close to the athletes' relatives told The Gleaner that recommendations were made and have since been approved by the relevant authorities.

The three will join a long list of Olympians who have received national honours. Among them are Merlene Ottey, Grace Jackson, Deon Hemmings, Juliet Cuthbert, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden, Arthur Wint, Les Laing, Donald Quarrie and Bert Cameron.

The Gleaner has also learnt that another recommendation was made to UNESCO to appoint Asafa Powell ambassador of peace for sports.

Bolt clocked 9.72 seconds on May 31 in New York to smash Powell's 9.74 mark which was set in Rieti, Italy, on September 9 last year.

The 21-year-old Bolt, who is the holder of the World Junior record for 200m, will go into the Beijing Games as the fastest man in the world over the 100m.

World record

Powell, 25, held the 100m world record for almost three years. He first broke the record on June 14, 2005, when he clocked 9.77 to beat the old mark by one-hundredth of a second. He equalled that 9.77 mark twice before his 9.74 run last year.

A three-time Olympian, Campbell-Brown won the 200m final in Athens four years ago to become the second Jamaican woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

At the same Games, she piloted the Jamaican sprint relay team to victory, becoming the first Jamaican woman to win two gold medals at the same Games.

The 26-year-old Campbell-Brown will enter the Games with a world-leading 21.94 in the 200m.