While still basking in his stunning second-round knockout victory over Colombia’s Randy Ramirez, Guyana’s champion boxer Elton Dharry is brimming with optimism about the prospects of a World title fight sometime this year.
President of the Jamaica Boxing Board, Stephen “Bomber” Jones, has paid heartfelt tribute to legendary Jamaican boxer Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum, who passed away suddenly in Las Vegas on Saturday, calling his death a “huge loss” not just for Jamaica but for the global boxing community.
The funding will be provided under the Government’s Athletes Assistance Programme that was initiated last year but which was discontinued after the Olympics Games were postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Ministry in collaboration with the Institute of Sports is providing financial support for those who are preparing for the Olympics. Approximately 124 athletes will benefit from the initiative,” said Jamaica’s Sports Minister Olivia Grange.
“They will be provided with funds at two week periods from now through to the Olympics. It will total approximately 45 million dollars in support.”
Athletes in six disciplines including swimming, rugby, gymnastics, boxing, karate and track and field will begin receiving disbursements in a matter of days as the final list of athletes is now being validated by the Athletes Assistance Programme Committee.
Payment of stipends to Paralympic athletes will begin in three weeks in keeping with the commitment of the Government of Jamaica to provide support for 18 weeks leading up to the Paralympic Games.
The Athletes Assistance Programme was implemented for the first time in March 2020. The programme was suspended after International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government decided to postpone the Games.
The boxing programme at St. Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) received a significant boost following the visit of Boris van der Vorst, president of World Boxing, during his five-day stay in Jamaica. The school, which recently started its boxing programme under the guidance of past student and boxing enthusiast Wayne Roberts, has quickly established itself as a beacon for the sport, with big plans for its future.
The world of sports is mourning the loss of one of boxing's all-time greats, George Foreman, who passed away peacefully on March 21, 2025, at the age of 76. His family confirmed the news in a heartfelt Instagram statement, saying, "Our hearts are broken. With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr., who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones."
In a pointed and passionate statement, Keith Joseph, President of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC), has called on the Caribbean boxing fraternity to take a stand amidst the ongoing global turmoil in the sport. Joseph urged regional boxing associations to end their silence and unite to protect the future of the sport, particularly in light of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to derecognize the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the growing influence of the newly formed World Boxing organization.
Jamaica’s next major push toward global sporting excellence might just come from inside the boxing ring. The Jamaica Boxing Board has confirmed an emerging relationship with Deborah Charmers, a British-born, Jamaican-rooted former national champion and elite coach, to lead a long-term grassroots development programme aimed at producing the country’s next generation of ring-ready talent.
Former World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion Livingston Bramble, the eccentric and unpredictable fighter who rose to international fame in the 1980s, has died. He was 64.
World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst praised Jamaica’s “Gloves over Guns” initiative and has outlined a road map for success as he partners with Jamaica’s Boxing Association and the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) to keep the Olympic dream alive.
Sixty-six countries, including the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, and Haiti had boycotted the games entirely because of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Security at the athletes' village was robust, with armed soldiers and barbed wire unfamiliar sights for the quadrennial spectacle of global goodwill.
At the time, Parris, now looking back, admits that all of that mattered very little. After all, he was there for one thing and that was to win gold for Guyana, a country which despite its reputation for being rich in earthly minerals, had yet to mine a spec of precious metal on the Olympics stage.
With that singular focus in mind, Parris recalls spending the majority of his time at the Games training in his hotel room, with the air conditioning stuck at its lowest setting, to help with acclimatisation. Even so, once the moment arrived, once he stepped out onto the global stage, the gravity of the moment did not entirely escape him.
“I was nervous. Nobody was calling for Guyana. I lost at least a bucket of sweat from my face and arms. The crowd was just so big, and you see maybe one little Guyana flag. It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, someone from Guyana will always be there. I saw a little flag somewhere in the crowd,” Parris recalled of stepping into the middle of the ring.
“But, when I was fighting, I never focused on the crowd, not even the coach. When I was in the ring I only focused on the other fighter, his movement, my movement, to see when I had hurt him,” he added.
Parris began the bouts with a win over Nigeria’s Nureni Gbadamosi, in the round of 32, followed by another win over Syria’s Fayez Zaghloui in the round of 16. Another solid performance saw the referee stop the contest between himself and Mexico’s Daniel Zaragoza, in the quarterfinals, before he faced Cuba’s Juan Hernández in the semi-finals.
Unfortunately for Parris, the competition ended there, with the Cuban going on to outpoint him before defeating Venezuela’s Bernardo Piñango in the final to claim the gold medal.
Even if the mission wasn’t fully accomplished, the job had been well done. Parris’ performances assured him of a bronze medal. The long journey, which began in sunny Georgetown, Guyana had culminated with a spot on the podium nearly 5,000 miles away, in the chilly Russian city. Forty years have passed since the monumental occasion, but for Parris, looking back, winning the country’s first and only Olympic medal to date still fills him with a deep sense of pride.
“I didn’t know if I was standing or sitting, or what, when the flag went up in the air. The excitement, I don’t even remember if I was standing. To see the flag raised, of 100s of other countries the Guyanese flag was up there. It was just so good. Some of our other athletes had flags waving as well, I was checking up on them and they thought they should have won medals as well and such,” Parris recalled.
“It was really exciting everything about it. Everything, the crowd, the first time the Guyana flag was raised at a Games. Many athletes went to the games before me. The first time I went, thankfully, I qualified and was able to bring back the bronze,” he added.
Parris’ achievement is yet to be equalled. Even the late Andrew ‘Six heads’ Lewis, who went to be WBA World Welterweight Champion, did not match his achievement at the Olympic level. Lewis failed to advance past the first round at the 1990 Olympics after losing to Germany’s Andreas Otto.
Parris is convinced that the country’s lack of outright success, since then, at the Olympic level, is not due to a lack of talent but more a case of not being enough done to fully harness the potential of young Guyanese athletes.
“We need to find a way to support our athletes. We need to look closely at these athletes, support them and you’ll get the best out of them. Support them and expose them, they need financial programs and stuff like that. Any sports you can think of Guyanese are good at it, whether it be running, swimming, cricket they just need the backing.”
He admits, however, that he has recently been encouraged by the approach taken by a newly elected government, which came into power last year, and the appointment of sports minister Charles Ramson Jr.
“I have been encouraged that we have a young sport’s minister, with this new government. He looks like he is ready to push things ahead, so we may get a few more Guyanese medalling at the Olympic Games soon,” Parris said.
If there is one regret, Parris, now 63, says is that he has not been able to work with some of the country’s youth boxers, as he was never given the opportunity. Still, he does his part to attempt to inspire the next generation.
“It’s been a great feeling, but the only thing I wish is when I came back with the medal, I would have loved to give something back to the youth. I never got the chance because no one called upon me to say come and help us with the coaching program or whatever. When they have summer camps now though, sometimes I drive around with the medal to show them so they can see it and feel it. I want to inspire them. I want them to know they can do it as well.”
IOC president Bach spoke on Tuesday at a press conference after interim recommendations were issued to international federations and organisers of events regarding the involvement of Russians and Belarusians in events while war in Ukraine continues.
The Olympic body urged federations to exclude any athletes or support personnel "who actively support the war", along with anybody "contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies", and said teams from either country should not be allowed to compete in international sport for now.
However, in a statement, the IOC said: "Sports organisations must have the sole responsibility to decide which athletes can take part in international competitions based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports."
There is a clear possibility of Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete as neutrals at the Paris Olympics next year, although Bach stressed there has been no decision taken on that matter, explaining it has yet to be discussed by the IOC executive board.
Bach said the IOC was going along with a United Nations position, and when asked whether Olympic chiefs were simply waiting for the war to end, and holding fire on direct action until then, he refuted the contention.
"We are not kicking it down the road, and we are not waiting," Bach said. "I guess we all would like the war to end now, and this is what we are calling for, but as you can see for all the reasons we are giving the conditions are not related to the development of the war, they are related to the respect of the Olympic charter and the Olympic values, and there we have to address these questions whether somebody is actively supporting the war in whichever way."
Bach said a decision regarding next year's Olympics would be made "at the appropriate time", without indicating when that might be, saying it was important to monitor the latest recommendations "for as long as possible" before taking "an informed decision".
He said there was no timeline because "nobody knows what's happening tomorrow or in one week or in nine months, so we have just to monitor and then find the appropriate time".
Bach knows there is unease in some quarters about the IOC not taking a firm decision.
When asked about Russia being happy its athletes were being able to compete, and Ukraine being unhappy with the situation, Bach said: "We have been accused by the Russian side of being agents of the United States, and we have been accused by Ukrainian side of being promoters of the war, so we appear to be somewhere in the middle."
Jackson claimed the award for the first time after a phenomenal 2023 season which saw her successfully defend her World 200m title with a personal best 21.41, the second fastest time ever, in Budapest in August.
In addition to her 200m title, Jackson also ran 10.72 for 100m silver. She ended her season with the sprint double at the Diamond League Final in Eugene with times of 10.70 and 21.57, respectively, in September.
The 29-year-old also achieved a new personal best in the 100m with 10.65, the fifth fastest time ever, to defend her National title in July.
Antonio Watson shocked the world to become the first Jamaican man in 40 years to win 400m gold at the World Championships.
After running a massive personal best 44.14 in the semi-finals, the 22-year-old produced 44.22 to take gold in the final. Watson also ran 44.54 for second at the National Championships in July.
Watson also took home the people’s choice award for his gold medal winning performance.
Danielle Williams was named runner-up for Sportswoman of the Year while Hansle Parchment was runner-up for Sportsman of the Year.
Williams, like Watson, shocked the world in Budapest by claiming her second 100m hurdles World title, the other coming all the way back in 2015.
Parchment, the reigning Olympic champion, claimed his second World Championship silver medal with a 13.07 effort in Budapest. He followed that up in September with a new personal best 12.93 to win at the Diamond League Final in Eugene.
The recipient of the 2023 Icon Award was 400m hurdles Olympic and World champion Deon Hemmings-McCatty while West Indies Under-19 batsman Jordan Johnson was named the winner of the VM Group Y.O.U.T.H award.
Some other athletes receiving awards for their individual sports included CAC Games bronze medallist Tahlia Richardson for badminton, Ricardo “Big 12” Brown for boxing, Sherea Clarke and Wayne McCalla for bodybuilding, West Indies batter Rashada Williams for cricket and Sara Misir and Fraser McConnell for motorsport.
Arguably Jamaica’s two most successful sports teams, the Sunshine Girls and the Reggae Girls, were given special awards for their performances in 2023.
The Reggae Girls were rewarded for their historic performance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from July 20-August 20.
They became the first Caribbean team ever, male or female, to advance to the Round of 16 at a FIFA World Cup.
The Sunshine Girls also had a historically good year with a gold medal at the CAC Games held in El Salvador from June 25-29 and bronze at the Netball World Cup held from July 28-August 6 in South Africa.
That World Cup also saw the Jamaicans get their first ever World Cup win over world number one and eventual champions, Australia.
Four judges scored the fight in favour of Kumar and one scored it for the Jamaican.
Brown, popularly known as ‘Big 12,’ had a slow start, losing the first round on all the judges’ scorecards and never really recovered from there.
He showed more intent and tried to pick up the pace in rounds 2 and 3 but ultimately didn’t do any significant damage as Kumar, who fought a more technical fight, was able to come away with the win.
Kumar, a two-time Asian Championships bronze medalist, was cut on the forehead after an accidental clash of heads in the 3rd round but kept his composure, and avoided some potentially devastating right hands from Brown, to seal victory and advance to the quarterfinals, one step closer to an opportunity at a medal.
He will next face reigning world and Asian Champion Bakhodir Jalovov of Uzbekistan on Saturday.
Brown, 31, was a bronze medalist at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, and was seeking to become Jamaica’s 1st boxing medallist at the Olympics.
Elise Seignolle, president of the Pan American Boxing Confederation will begin an official visit to the island starting this Friday, April 25 when she lands at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. Her five-day visit will conclude on Tuesday, April 29.
President of the Jamaica Boxing Association, Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones, is delighted by the upcoming visit of World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst, as he views it as a significant milestone for the sport’s development in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.
Jerone Ennis, the 2022 American Light Heavyweight Boxing Confederation/Caribbean gold medalist and Commonwealth Youth Welterweight Bronze medalist is on board: “I am a proud representative of the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control and my goal is to represent Jamaica at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and thanks to the JOA which made it possible for me to represent Jamaica at the international level and for developing the ‘smaller’ sporting syndicates.”
Olympian Ricardo Brown, the 2019 Pan American bronze medalist in the men’s super heavyweight (91+kg) class who in 2021 turned professional, puts it in the context of transitioning to the big stage which all athletes envision. “Attending the Tokyo Olympic Games is a memory and an experience for a lifetime and the JOA was supportive in starting me in the right direction which has expanded more opportunities for me in my professional career.”
While Brown articulates the dream of athletes, JOA Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Foster, gives the perspective of his colleague Directors. “For the JOA family two is not better than too many; and while success in sport development is understandably qualitative, there is a numerical component that materially defines progress and validates the principle “sport for all, all for sport” which is our theme for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.”
Foster’s comment strikes a chord with Weightlifting Federation President, Dr. Mark Broomfield whose sport has been creating history. “There is a parallel between educational professions and sporting disciplines. For years many thought that to have a meaningful career one had to be either a Lawyer or a Doctor, no other profession was respected or encouraged until reality proved otherwise. The same is true for sport in the Jamaican landscape. Many only saw football, cricket, track and field and netball, the female sport, as the only sport worth developing and promoting but “out of many one people” is a platform that promotes diversity and the belief that Jamaicans can represent their country in other sporting disciplines outside of the chosen three or four. Pioneers are known for their ability to pave new path ways and it’s time for new pioneers in sports.”
Fencing Federation President, James McBean, is also on the same page regarding the JOA’s “no sport being left behind” policy as he says “this really speaks to the effort that the JOA is making in terms of encouraging, honing and in many ways revolutionizing the sporting landscape of Jamaica and what’s also quite poignant is the way in which JOA seems to be going about this is very much in line with the spirit of the IOC in that all these new so called ‘smaller sports’ or new ‘family members’ to the sporting family are treated equally, given a voice, and being encouraged. Nurturing the so-called ‘smaller sports’ is so important because this is a wise investment in Jamaica’s sport and a brilliant use of resources and time.”
Many Olympic sports are now coming into their own and international representation across the board continues to be a driving force of the JOA. “Any governing body in sport or otherwise knows that the playing field must be level at all times for governance of members’ aspirations cannot be for some a valley and others a mountain-top experience. Enshrined in the Olympic Charter is the equal right of all to self-actualisation and to transition to the Olympic stage” JOA President, Christopher Samuda, said.
Olympian and the 2022 Commonwealth Games sliver medalist in the Women 70kg weight category, Ebony knows the immense potential of her sport. "I want to get to another Olympics and, with that, help Jamaica to improve the awareness of judo as a sport and get more persons to participate. Judo has given so much to my life and I want other people to experience the same - especially the youth. Ultimately, the Jamaica Judo Association is really helping to build the interest in the country as we have a great potential for international success at every age group."
2023 will witness two major games – the El Salvador Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and the Santiago Pan American Games - the predecessors of which in 2019 were historic for the JOA in terms of the most sports represented, the most medal haul and the largest contingent. “Our goal is clearly to surpass those milestones and our commitment to those sports who they call minor, is not only major but is mature” Samuda emphasised.
At the heart of sport development and success in sport and central to KPIs of any growth strategy is an understanding that is akin to the thought process that goes into any viable investment and revenue strategy: “Diversify, pluralise, economise and then monetise and don’t allow your eggs to be placed in one basket. The same applies to sport” Foster said.
In the last decade there has been, noticeably, an emergence of new Olympic sports with well-defined technical cohorts, fan bases and financial backers who are taking some icing and slices from the sporting cake which must necessarily and creatively be enlarged and enriched to accommodate new tastes and a widening diet of diverse ambitions.
The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has delivered a powerful statement of intent for the future of local boxing, announcing a JMD$5 million investment into the development of a national boxing gym — a move aimed at preparing the next generation of Olympic hopefuls for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) President Christopher Samuda expressed his full support for the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to grant provisional recognition to World Boxing as the sport’s new International Federation within the Olympic Movement.
Leroy Brown, General Secretary of the Jamaica Boxing Board, is still coming to terms with the passing of Mike McCallum, one of Jamaica’s greatest-ever athletes. For Brown, the loss is not just a national tragedy—it’s deeply personal.
Jamaican boxing legend Mike McCallum, who passed away on May 31 at the age of 68, will be laid to rest in his homeland. The confirmation came from Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, in an exclusive interview with Sportsmax.TV on Tuesday night.