The Jamaica Athletics Invitational (JAI), launched with much fanfare in April 2024 as a revitalized global track and field showcase, will not be held this year, according to confirmation from JAAA Treasurer Ludlow Watts.
Speaking with SportsMax.TV on Saturday, Watts confirmed the cancellation.
"It can't [be held] because there was a lot of late business taking place, so it won’t be on," Watts said. "It won’t be on this year—let’s put it that way."
The JAI was introduced as the spiritual successor to the Jamaica International Invitational (JII), an event that debuted in 2004 and brought world-class athletics to Kingston’s National Stadium for more than a decade. However, the JII suffered a series of unexplained postponements between 2018 and 2022, eventually leading to its replacement by the newly branded JAI.
The inaugural JAI was launched on April 11, 2024, at the AC Hotel by Marriott Kingston, and was backed by PUMA and a JMD$10 million contribution from the Ministry of Sport. The event was officially scheduled for May 11, 2024, at the National Stadium and was expected to revive Jamaica’s standing as a premier athletics destination.
Last year’s meet featured 14 high-profile events and attracted a star-studded lineup of global talent including World 100m hurdles champion Tobi Amusan, Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, American stars Abby Steiner, Aleia Hobbs, Nia Ali, and Fred Kerley, along with Dina Asher-Smith (GBR), Trayvon Bromell, Shamier Little, and Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown.
On the local side, young sensation Jaydon Hibbert—a world leader in the triple jump—was set to headline the Jamaican contingent, though his campaign was cut short by a hamstring injury at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
The cancellation of this year’s JAI will come as a disappointment to local fans and athletes hoping for another opportunity to witness elite performances on home soil. It remains unclear whether the event will return in 2026 or beyond, but stakeholders will likely use this pause to reassess its long-term viability.
With the Grand Slam Track series making its debut in Kingston earlier this month and other meets like Champs continuing to dominate the calendar, the JAI’s absence leaves a noticeable gap in Jamaica’s professional athletics circuit.
Photo: Jamaica Information Service