While defending the decision of four Jamaican athletes to switch allegiance to Türkiye, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president Christopher Samuda says the country must now face an uncomfortable but necessary truth that athletes are pushed abroad because of financial instability. In fact, he believes unless urgent measures are implemented, the exodus will only continue.
At the heart of Samuda’s recommendation is the call to reconvene the long-dormant National Sports Council, which he says is essential to crafting policies and implementing initiatives aimed at providing athletes with sustainable financial support and, by extension, national retention.
"A concern of mine is that the National Sports Council, of which I was a part, has not met for several years and must be brought back on stream as a policy-making body. We must reconvene the National Sports Council, which was then the driving force of revolutionary changes in sport," Samuda told SportsMax.Tv.
Samuda recalled when he chaired the Athletes' Welfare and Wellbeing Committee, which developed terms of reference and studied health schemes in external jurisdictions. That committee comprised Don Anderson, Grace Jackson, Suzette Ison, and Florrette Blackwood, who were then of the Prime Minister's office, under which the Ministry of Sports portfolio once fell.
"We immersed ourselves in comparative evaluations, examined cost structures, and then hammered out a viable game plan. Prospective service providers were interviewed, proposals were assessed, executives were interviewed, and actuaries were consulted and given scripts to define. Experts were engaged in robust conversation, and the result was the launch and implementation of the historic Jamaica Athletes Insurance Plan at Jamaica House," Samuda explained.
"It was mission accomplished for hundreds and perhaps thousands of national athletes from over 25 sport associations. They would now benefit from health and life insurance as well as personal accident insurance. We did it for insurance. It can be done for other services, but the National Sports Council must be reconvened. A broad-based policy-making body of experts with clear terms of reference that is also innovative and led by an innovative mandate is essential to actualizing critical initiatives, programs, and investments," he stressed.
That said, Samuda argued that it is time to move beyond emotion and face the economic pressures confronting athletes. While the symbolism of the black, green, and gold runs deep, Samuda acknowledged the reality that bills must be paid and futures secured—especially in a career as short-lived as elite sport.
"Some may say that the context, if not the text, of the decision taken by the athletes is clearly money. However, those who have taken the decision will tell you that the rationale is not only that bills have to be paid and mouths have to be fed, but also that an athlete has a short shelf life, unlike other professionals, who can practice for decades well beyond an athlete's shelf life," Samuda noted.
"They will tell you that but for citizenship, the same principle governs transfers in other sports where money opens windows to a market of sellers and buyers. Yes, money is very important in terms of one's ability to meet current financial obligations and those that additionally and inevitably will arise in the future, particularly with the advent of family and time-guaranteed onset of health concerns," he added.
Samuda went on to cite startling examples of Olympic medalists, record holders, and national icons who have struggled to secure contracts despite their accolades. This, he said, underscores a broader systemic issue—a lack of corporate capacity or will to consistently support multiple athletes long-term.
"Opponents will advocate that there is an uneasy feeling in the gut when having wrapped yourself in the black, green, and gold, and you now wish to garb yourself in other colours, an emotional response that is grounded in loyalty and patriotism, which, although they cannot pay bills and feed mouths, can satisfy principle.
"The two views have their foundation, and one who may be neutral may ask how many Jamaican companies realistically can resource one, two, or three athletes for a contractual period of three or four years with signing fees and bonuses, which are said to have been put on the table by the Turkish authorities and accepted by the athletes," the JOA boss reasoned.
To stem the tide, Samuda proposed several solutions. Chief among them is the establishment of a multi-million-dollar mutual fund, backed by public and private stakeholders and managed independently.
"This fund must have defined operational procedures, investment policies, and selection criteria. Another part of the mutual funding portfolio is looking at local and foreign stock markets dividend stocks as an ROI income extreme. These are some of the solutions that we must find," he stated.
Incentivizing corporate investment, both local and international, through aggressive tax regimes was another avenue floated. But all of this, Samuda insisted, must be driven by the reconvened National Sports Council.
On that note, Samuda stood firm in his support of the athletes—Roje Stona, Jaydon Hibberts, Wayne Pinnock, and Rajindra Campbell.
"I caution against emotionally vilifying our athletes; I will defend them. We should not deny them the same choice that other professionals make daily to leave our shores in search of financial security. Many of those professionals hold other passports, and some have gained citizenship," Samuda argued.
Ultimately, he believes Jamaica is at a crossroads, one that demands not only introspection but also action.
"We therefore have to look practically and quickly at how we can stem the exodus which has commenced, for we all know its genesis, and perhaps there will be more revelations when numbers climb and the proverbial cats are let out of the bags," he ended.