Ryan Foster

In a publication, World Athletics stated that the series is "aptly named JOA/JAAA ‘Olympic Destiny’. The Washington Post newspaper in the United States also had the event on its radar with a report on the explosive world-leading 10.63 performance of sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the 100 metres.

Performances during the series were also captured in traditional and new media entities worldwide.

Although only in its first year, ‘Olympic Destiny’ has already earned a reputation locally and internationally as a standard-bearer in track and field, which the JOA and its member association, the JAAA, intend to guard jealously.

Contemplating current health challenges and risks and looking to the future, President of the JOA, Christopher Samuda, in a post-event interview, stated that, "Olympic Destiny gave athletes a new and inspired lease on life amidst the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national senior trials will be the 'Olympic Verdict' as athletes vie for coveted places at the pinnacle multi-sport the Olympic Games”.

The description, ‘Olympic Verdict’, of the national senior trials, is on point as several events, including the 100m, 200m, 110m hurdles and the triple jump for both men and women, as well as the discus for men, are expected to be competitive and showstoppers.

Secretary-General and CEO of the JOA, Ryan Foster, in anticipating keen contests, remarked that "on D-day at the national senior trials, diplomacy will somewhat give way to assertive rivalry for at the end of it all there will be one verdict, which performances will deliver.”

This year's national senior trials between June 24 and 27 at the National Stadium is indeed the ‘Olympic Verdict’ as "emerging generations will meet experienced campaigners in a decider that will be healthy for the sport, thrilling for the fans and ensure succession," Foster said.

The jury will certainly not be out where the staging of future Destiny series is concerned as the JOA intends to roll out ‘Olympic Destiny’ in 2022 and beyond in athletics and other sports.

"Olympic Destiny is now a staple on the calendar as we have earmarked the summer and winter Games as dramatic watershed events of exciting times ahead of us,'' Samuda declared.

If the significant turnout of athletes and the notable performances are anything to go by, the ‘Olympic Destiny’ Series will become not only a local product of Olympism but an international asset.

Chairman of Express Canteen Ryan Foster made the announcement on Monday as Hydel High School celebrated their first title at ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships that concluded on Saturday, April 1.

In 2022, Hydel’s head coach Corey Bennett, revealed that the school faced financial challenges and was forced to cut members of the team they had planned to send to the Relays in Philadelphia. Express Canteen responded to the call for help and donated JMD$250,000 towards the venture.

At the celebrations at the school grounds in Ferry, St Catherine on Monday, company’s chairman Ryan Foster said they will be doing the same in 2023.

"Last year, Corey came to me for assistance to get the girls to the Penn Relays as there was an immediate shortfall being experienced. Most naturally, Express Canteen intervened and assisted them to attend the games,” said Foster, who is also Chairman of the Board of the Hydel Group of Schools.

“This year the need still exists and we are on board again to make this dream possible. My motto is "it is not how big you are as a company but is how big of a sacrifice you can make to make another person’s life better.

“The joy does not come in financial rewards but it is the many blessings that I have received over the course of my business. The Penn Relays is a staple and I believe Express Canteen will continue to support Hydel Girls, one of our key partners, to continue to excel. The support this year is $250,000."

For his part, Bennett, who is also Vice President of the Hydel Group of Schools, expressed his gratitude for the continued support.

“It is really special to get sponsorship from Express Canteen and it has come at such a good time when we try to expose our young athletes to international competition,” he said.

“It is a very timely gift to us because without these contributions we have no way to attending the Penn Relays and we are just thankful to Express Canteen that continues to invest in Jamaica’s youth through their sponsorship.”

Last year, Hydel High School broke their own Penn Relays record in the high school girls 4x400m relays when they set a time of 3:32.77. In doing so, they broke the record of 3:33.99 set in 2017.

Since its entry into the Olympic Games in London in 1948, Jamaica has been represented at the Games in athletics, cycling, swimming, diving, gymnastics, judo, taekwondo and boxing. If Jamaica gets there, skateboarding would be the latest addition to the growing list of skills that the land of wood and water have paraded on the largest of sports’ global stages.

The gravity of such an accomplishment is not lost on the 16-year-old Ricketts.

"I'm glad that I could be given this opportunity to represent my country doing what I love. I would also like to thank the JOA and the SJL for giving me the said opportunity," he said.

Joel is an honour-roll student at Wolmer’s Boys School. The first of two children for project manager Joel Ricketts and his wife Loretta, a school teacher, Joel ran track, played football and basketball growing up but it was skateboarding that lit the cauldron of passion within him.

“Standing out vividly in my mind was the day I got a skateboard,” he said. “It was the most joyous day of my life. My passion for this particular sport led to my connection with Jamaica Skateboarding Federation and the Olympic body, Skateboarding Jamaica Ltd.

“This yearning of passion and exposure through the association has helped me to be a better team player and a more confident and disciplined individual. I am motivated and driven to excel in this sport and in other areas of my life. With the new-found self-determination and discipline gained as a result of skateboarding, this has allowed me to improve and own the skill and enjoyment of skateboarding.”

His declaration sounds like music to the ears of the Skateboarding Jamaica Limited (SJL) President Ryan Foster, who is also the Secretary-General and CEO of the Jamaica Olympic Association.

“The Junior Pan Am Games in Colombia will be historic for Skateboarding Jamaica Ltd as it will represent the first time that Jamaica will be represented in skateboarding in an international tournament,” Foster said.

“As the president, I am extremely elated that our athlete will be allowed to showcase his talent and this will be used as a stepping stone to many great things to come. Tournaments such as these are seen by the Skateboarding Jamaica Board as the beginning to the pathway to qualification to the 2024 Olympic Games.”

Joel is currently in California for a training camp courtesy of the JOA and SJL to get much-needed practice with some of the best young skateboarders in the world that Foster believes will help lay the foundation for a successful campaign towards Paris in 2024.

 “We have a core of skateboarders currently, which will form part of our Olympic squad and the board of SJL will be working with our strategic stakeholders to ensure that Jamaica will have representation in 2024 Olympics," the president said.

Meanwhile, Joel revealed that he is learning a lot in California.

“I am learning a lot, really, but what I am really working on is breaking the lines together and getting over the fear factor of skateboarding, which is falling but the basics are down so what we are working on is putting the basics together and formatting them into my trick system,” he said.

Creating history for Jamaica in the sport, he said, is both terrifying and satisfying.

“It’s a bit nerve-racking but I am also excited. I got this opportunity to do what I love, there is nothing better than that so I am just going to do the best I can,” he said.”

“To make the Olympics in skateboarding would be amazing. It is one of my goals.”

To get there, Joel has to successfully navigate a pathway filled with challenges that come in the form of qualifying tournaments across the globe. The equation is simple; do well and Paris awaits.

“You have the Street League, which is a skateboarding contest, which has aligned with World Skate and they organize contests in different parts of the world – France, Japan, Brazil and Italy sometimes. That’s where most of the points are earned and then there are other meets like the OISTU Open in Brazil,” Joel said.

His focus after the Junior Pan Am Games is getting better.

“More contests, more practice, getting better and getting over that fear and it would mean a lot to me,” he said.

“I go by the rule, ‘If it has been done it is achievable and there is always room for growth. The best is yet to come.”

The journey has begun.

Hydel High's athletes have been blazing a trail of success and their girls’ team placed second at the recently-concluded ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.

In a media interview after the meet, Hydel’s head coach Corey Bennett revealed challenges that the school faced in securing funding for Champs and getting to the Penn Relays, noting that due to a financial shortfall they had to cut the number of members on their team.

Express Canteen, which caters to the school as its concessionaire, answered the call as they had done before and Bennett said it is testimony to the company's commitment to the development of some of the nation's finest athletic talent.

"The fact that the Express Canteen franchise has answered the call to lend their support to the Hydel High School team travelling to the Penn Relays shows once again their commitment to invest in Jamaica’s youth and the continued nurturing of their talents," Bennett said.

"We are sincerely appreciative of Express Canteen’s financial contribution towards our team, affording them the opportunity to compete amongst some of the best teams internationally.

"We would like to publicly thank the Express Canteen’s Management for their consistent and unwavering support towards the Hydel High School track and field programme."

The largesse was not lost on Hydel’s star sprinter Briana Lyston, who expressed her gratitude.

“The support for sports, and in particular the Hydel High’s Track and Field program, is truly important to us and most appreciated by us,” she said.

“The fact that some members of the corporate world continue to understand their importance to our development in the sport is simply great!”

Two of the events in which the Hydel High girls team will be participating are the 4x100 metres and 4x400 metres relays, in which they are favoured to battle for top honours, especially in the 4x100 metres where they came face to face with arch-rivals Edwin Allen and Ryan Foster, Chairman of Express Canteen, views their contribution as an investment in the next generation of athletes.

"Express Canteen is extremely proud of the exploits of all our schools at the recent Boys' and Girls' Champs. We believe in a holistic approach to our partnerships in schools, so when we saw the need of Hydel High to attend the Penn Relays it was an easy decision to support them," said Foster, who is also he is also the General Secretary/CEO of Jamaica's apex sporting body, the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA).

"We are extremely proud of Corey and his achievements with the Hydel track programme and believe this investment is not only an investment in Hydel but also the next generation of athletes that will become our future Olympians.”

 The Hydel High School team has also secured support from Florida-based SupaJamz radio and a perennial sponsor for Jamaican high schools competing at Penns, Team Jamaica Bickle.

Fast-forward 13 years, and Dr Small, in his first year as principal of Hydel High School, is celebrating once again. The school which is celebrating its 30^th anniversary won their first ever girls’ title at the 113-year-old high school championships.

Does he see himself as a sort of lucky charm?

Perhaps not, but he believes Hydel winning at the five-day athletics championships that concluded on Saturday, was the result of everyone playing their part.

“I am not sure (he is a lucky charm) but for me, my role as an educator whether it was at Wolmer’s or at Hydel, is of father, motivator,” he said as the school celebrated at its Ferry campus in St Catherine, the historic win after dethroning eight-time defending champions Edwin Allen by a mere two points – 279 to 277.

“That is my role to make them feel special; tell them at devotion, let them dance at devotion. I brought Mr (Coach Corey) Bennett there. I said come and dance for them at devotion so that they can feel relaxed and comfortable. So, I think that our role is to make sure they are good, make sure their assignments are done.

“We played our part and left the important part to the track team. They have done something special this year, the 30^th anniversary.”

The timing of the victory, he said, was significant as he believes it will bring attention to the school’s desperate needs.

“I think it (the championship) was to bring attention to us. The school has been ravaged by fire, by the pandemic. We need serious support, we need attention; Corporate Jamaica and government needs to come in and assist us,” he said explaining that Hydel has so much to offer.

“This can be a one-stop shop for track and field and quality academic education because we are balancing sports.

“I have no doubt that this is going to help us. We can’t even manage any influx of athletes now because we do not have the proper facilities to accommodate them. We have the buildings but we need to retro-fit them. Once we get this help we can accommodate as many students as possible because we have a lot of buildings here,” said Dr Small who was appointed principal in September 2022.

Early on in the proceedings on Monday, the celebrations began under the blazing mid-morning sun when members of the victorious track team led the excited student population in a march onto the campus to the sound of music and blaring vuvuzelas.

Coach Corey Bennett came dancing once more, which raised the intensity of the cheers seemingly ten-fold. He danced on stage with his athletes before delivering an inspirational speech about the early days of Hydel track and field, how it has grown and developed over the last decade despite lingering doubts about the school’s ability to win a championship.  A coach, who is no longer in the sport “told me I was wasting my time,” he said.

He said Hydel sent a four-member team to their first ever Champs in 2010 when they finished 11^th. A few years later they were fifth and after a few years of coming close, they have finally delivered.

He ended with a recital of the Lord’s Prayer with the audience joining in before shouting “God is good! God is good!”

CEO and President of GraceKennedy Financial Group, Grace Burnett, hailed the athletes for the tremendous achievement while singling out the performance of Kaydeen Johnson, who fell at the final barrier of the 2000m steeplechase but still managed to rise and go on to win. Johnson also won the 3000m.

Burnett said that what happened in the steeplechase was inspirational.

“Kaydeen fell during the steeplechase, she got up and she ran and she won,” she said to cheers and blaring vuvuzelas. “Sometimes in life things knock you down. You can stay lying down or you can get up, you can put your heart into it and still win.”

 She also singled out “superstar” Alana Reid who won three gold medals – the 100m in a new record of 10.92, the 200m and the 4x100m relay, team captain Oneika McAnnuff, who won the 400m hurdles and was second in the 400m, whom she described as a true leader.

She also mentioned Jody-Ann Daley who won the Class II 400m and Nastassia Fletcher, who took home gold in the Class III one lap race.

Hydel Board Chairman Ryan Foster also praised the team and shed light on the process of how the board assembled a team of administrators that helped give Hydel the push to create history in Jamaica’s high school track and field.

Mr Bach is set to arrive in Jamaica late Friday.

During his brief visit, the world governing Olympic body’s head will undertake a hectic schedule and President of the Jamaica Olympic Association, (JOA), Christopher Samuda, expects a very successful visit.

 “President Bach’s engagement will serve to deepen and embolden our continuing commitment to the values of Olympism as a way of life in sport while providing a welcomed opportunity for an interface with members of the local Olympic family,” said Samuda.

In July 2018, a petal from the flame of the cauldron of the 2012 London Olympic Games was established at the Sir Donald Sangster International Airport, in Montego Bay by the current JOA administration “as a landmark embodying the ideals of a global sport movement, giving earnest hope to the burning aspirations of Jamaica’s sportsmen and women in their pursuit of excellence and kindling the ambitious light of our youth to emulate” JOA Secretary General and CEO, Ryan Foster, said.

At the heart of the President Bach’s visit will undoubtedly be fraternal unity as the top brass of the JOA and IOC executives meet on common ground in advancing the Olympic agenda.

“A meeting of the minds in sport, a mutuality of purpose and will and commonality of values will characterize discussions and anchor outcomes” President Samuda stated.

President Bach, a Montreal 1976 Olympic Games gold medalist in the discipline of foil in fencing and a lawyer by profession, will depart the island with his delegation on March 5 on the way to the Dominican Republic after “what we have every confidence will be a milestone in Jamaica’s Olympic experience” Secretary General Foster concluded.

Kingston, Jamaica…The Jamaica Triathlon Association (JTA) received a welcome boost recently when they were able to acquire eight new `bicycles with the help of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA).

Through a JOA grant of JMD$1 million the JTA was able to acquire the bicycles and other equipment as well as assist with the promotion of the inaugural Inter-Schools Triathlon/Aquathlon Championships to be held at the National Aquatic Centre at Independence Park in Kingston on Saturday, June 18, 2022.

The championships will include age groups from six to 21 years incorporating primary, secondary and tertiary students.

Christopher Samuda, President of the JOA, said the investment is a further signal of the Olympic association’s confidence in the goals set by the JTA’s administration. 

“Our investment in the sport triathlon is three fold - the athlete, the tool of the trade, which is the bicycle, and the coach, who provides the technical competence which transitions the talent to success,” President Samuda said.

“This is JOA's cycle of development, the returns of which have been fast tracked by the experience and commitment of the new administration led by President Karl Sharpe.

“This is a solid partnership between the JOA and the Jamaica Triathlon Association, which has developed traction and the athlete is the winner and the schools the beneficiaries. One million is yet another clear signal of our confidence in the sport and the value and currency of the administration.”

JOA CEO and General-Secretary Ryan Foster believes the assistance they are providing will also help the JTA build capacity in the longer term.

“The JOA welcomes this extremely important initiative by the Jamaica Triathlon Association. The JOA shares a similar vision with the JTA regarding expanding opportunities and growing the sport in schools,” Foster said.

“We are pleased with the renewed energy displayed by President (Carl) Sharpe and his team and saw it as a right strategic fit which aligns with our vision of looking at the next generation.

“The partnership will see The JOA contributing $JMD1 million towards this competition. The sponsorship will also see the JOA providing the much-needed competition equipment, especially for those schools that do not have the resources to do so. This equipment will provide capacity to the JTA for future events."

 The consensus is that the JOA support will go a long way in helping develop the sport as well as aid in the physical development of young athletes, a view expressed by the association’s president Carl Sharpe.

“They (the bicycles) will help us to unearth talent,” he said.

Sharpe explained that several aquathlon athletes interested in becoming triathletes but they lack the resources to purchase bicycles.

He also believes that because the triathlon is a cross-discipline event, athletes who engage in the sport are likely to achieve greater levels of physical development and as a result are more likely to avoid injuries.

These sentiments were echoed by JTA Director Donna Sharpe.

“These bikes are starter bikes with different measurements that fit athletes with varying heights. The bikes will be used on a loaner basis to get athletes to start riding,” she explained.

“These are some aquathletes who want to transition to triathlon but have no bikes to get started. So they will be used to assist athletes to learn to ride and or train.”

At the inaugural championships, the JTA coaches are hoping to identify talent for the national squad in preparation for the Carifta Triathlon Aquathlon Age Group Championships scheduled to be held September 24th to 25th in Bermuda.

                                        -30-

The agreement will also facilitate the exchange of athletes and coaches who will benefit from educational and technical programmes.

The agreement was signed during the XXV General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC) in Greece.

JOA President Christopher Samuda declared that the signing of the agreement signifies an abiding commitment from the JOA and GOC to deepen their already strong bi-lateral relationship under which athletes, coaches, administrators and member federations will benefit from initiatives of capacity building and institutional strengthening, in research, training and education, sports-specific skills and the sciences and technology of sport.

President of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee, Gerardo Aguirre, also endorsed the historic partnership in regional sporting history.

"For us, Guatemala's NOC, we identified this as an opportunity to generate a connection with sport and athletes between Jamaica and Guatemala,” he said.

“Jamaica has specific strengths in sport and Guatemala has developed others, making these useful for us all to share. Therefore, this makes the signing of this agreement a marvellous opportunity and from it can come various avenues of activities so that Jamaican and Guatemalan athletes can come together."

Secretary-General and CEO of the Jamaica Olympic Association, Ryan Foster, who announced the agreement between the two Olympic organizations, explained that both Olympic bodies understand that efforts and relationships in sport must first be athlete-centric and dedicated.

 “Then, for stakeholders' engagement and empowerment and this agreement which we have signed is written testimony of that fact and the reality that friendships and unity in sport defy language barriers and the breadth of seas and oceans," he said.

Director of International Affairs of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee, Neville Steins, emphasized the importance and high value of the agreement in the context of bringing “not only our countries together through sport, but more still, bringing together the Caribbean and Central America in eliminating the absence of communication owing to language differences through the use of sport and thus bring our countries' athletes together for the common good."

The JOA's foreign policy supports strong and strategic partnerships in providing enabling opportunities for athletes, coaches and administrators.

 "The JOA will continue to build strong partnerships across borders and continents. We started in December 2017 when we inked in Japan with the Tottori Prefecture Government an agreement which is facilitating collaboration beyond the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as for us sport development and diplomacy go beyond events and are life-changing experiences spanning generations. We will continue in earnest as sport is an enabler, equalizer and unifier" President Samuda said.

The announcement is met with palpable enthusiasm from JOA President, Christopher Samuda, who can't hide his delight, "The designs meet our approval, and their display will be an innovation bringing Olympism into the arena, reminding inspired youth that wearing the black, gold, and green is genetic, shaping character and tailoring personal aspirations, sewing seeds of success."

A sense of historical significance hangs in the air as the national stadium, once again, prepares to take center stage. JOA Secretary General/CEO, Ryan Foster, eloquently expresses the symbolic nature of the venue, "The national stadium will once more be a focal point for Olympism, a landmark from which sportsmen and women have been catapulted into being Olympic champions and global personalities, becoming an inspiration to generations of youth."

The JOA/PUMA partnership is lauded for its creative fusion of sports and fashion. President Samuda emphasizes the deeper meaning of national sportswear, stating, "This activation by PUMA underscores that national sportswear should be an experience and an honor that goes beyond what you wear to being how you wear it, contributing to a country’s sporting legacy – and that’s Olympism."

Fashion, as articulated by JOA Secretary General/CEO Foster, is not merely a reflection of the times but a profound expression of identity. "National apparel re-defines the past, defines the present, and shapes the future of a people." He highlights the distinction between ready-to-wear and custom-built, noting that the latter is driven by a 'fit to size' and bespoke value, characterizing the present and stylizing the future.

As the days count down, the buzz around the event intensifies. Jamaicans eagerly anticipate a taste of Paris, as Olympic sportswear is set to grace Independence Park. Inspired by the remarkable performances of Jamaican Olympians throughout history, the showcase promises to be a vivid celebration of the nation's sporting legacy.

PUMA's continuing commitment to the Jamaican Olympic movement is evident, with this display of Jamaican sport haute couture being hailed as "the dress rehearsal of greater things to come" by President Samuda. The stage is set for a truly groundbreaking moment at CHAMPS, where the collision of athleticism and high fashion will create an unforgettable spectacle, etching a lasting impression on the hearts of spectators and athletes alike.

Responding to the urgent plea from the Jamaica Surfing Association, citing the non-materialization of promised funding from the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), the JOA not only fulfilled its initial commitment of a JMD$800,000 cash injection but has gone above and beyond by providing an additional JMD$400,000.

This generous intervention bridges the financial gap, empowering the aspiring surfers to compete at the  World Championship scheduled from February 23 to March 3, 2024.

Icah Wilmot, President of the Jamaica Surfing Association and an internationally certified coach, expressed heartfelt gratitude, stating, "Thank you so much JOA for the support and assistance. You are life savers, and now we are heading to the competition to put our best foot forward, representing the nation with our eyes on the ultimate prize of spots at the 2024 Olympic Games."

Surfing has been gaining momentum locally in recent years, showcasing its Olympic and Paralympic credentials, capturing the attention and support of the JOA.

JOA President Christopher Samuda shared an optimistic outlook, stating, "Gale force winds blew, torrential rains there were; but the storm is over now, and light and liberty are on the horizon."

Meanwhile, JOA Secretary General/CEO, Ryan Foster, expressed the association’s continued support, saying, "Not even a tsunami could prevent us from giving our accomplished surfing ambassadors the opportunity to rule the waves."

With several sports now in the process of qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games, the JOA's timely intervention exemplifies its dedication to fostering excellence in sports, ensuring that athletes across diverse disciplines have the opportunity to shine on the global stage.

Levell, an Edwin Allen High graduate and a decorated Champs, Carifta, and Under-20 World Championship medalist, recently made a significant impact at the National Senior and Junior Championships where he ran a lifetime best of 9.97 in the 100m and won the national 200m title in another lifetime best of 19.97.

His remarkable performance cemented his status on the big stage and garnered the attention and support of the JOA.

In acknowledging the support, Levell expressed his gratitude, stating, "I am very proud to be the first recipient of the award, which will be very beneficial with me not having any support. By giving me this award, the JOA is supporting my dreams and aspirations."

The JOA’s swift and affirmative response to Levell’s request was anticipated. "Excellence and merit cannot be purchased; they are earned by giving it your all and do not subscribe to a ‘buy one, get one free’ mentality. It is this philosophy, this conviction, that drove the JOA to answer the call of Bryan and his team for support," stated JOA Secretary General and CEO, Ryan Foster.

Foster emphasized the significance of this partnership, describing it as "more than a smile and talk; it is a handshake that acknowledges excellence, empathizes with a need, and shares in an Olympic dream that has become a reality. It is a firm handshake of mutuality that says we’re in this together in realizing Bryan’s aspirations and for Jamaica’s glory."

Levell’s manager, Damia Russell, praised Levell’s resilience and determination in the face of having "zero sponsorship." She stated, "Bryan intends to advocate and show other young boys and girls that dreams do come true and hard work works."

The JOA’s commitment to supporting athletes is further reflected in their view that "making your mark is not time-bound or dependent on a condition that you must know your place until someone gives you space. It is grasping the moment in time, creating your space, and owning a place in history, which Bryan is doing," emphasized Foster.

The JOA's President, Christopher Samuda, added, "We have a social contract with our sportsmen and women who are our business, livelihood, and lifeblood. We are delivering opportunities on a level playing field, and with this financial investment, we are levelling the vibes for Bryan now so that he can ‘tun up di vibes’ as he pursues his athletic career and academic goals."

In a historic move in 2021, the JOA inaugurated and invested millions of dollars in its own coaches’ scholarship program, complementing the existing Olympic solidarity scholarships for athletes. At the official launch of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in May, the governing body announced increased financial support to other athletes, including Malik James-King, Samantha Hall, Shanieka Ricketts, and Nayoka Clunis, all of whom have earned a place on Jamaica’s track and field team for the Olympic Games.

The JOA’s "Young Olympic Changemakers" award serves as an Olympic appetizer for young athletes who thirst and hunger for, and indeed achieve, excellence. Bryan Levell's journey to the Paris 2024 Olympics is a testament to this commitment.

Applications close on November 30, 2021.

Available only to JOA members, the courses being offered are Level III – National Coaching Development, for head coaches of national teams; International Certificate in Adaptive Sports, for coaches currently working with para-athletes and other special groups, and the International Certificate in Sports Governance, designed for Sports Administrators and Managers.

 JOA Secretary-General and CEO Ryan Foster explained that these courses are to be the first steps taken under the Olympic association’s partnership with the United Sports Academy to offer more tertiary education opportunities to athletes and personnel and to build an academic base in sports through research, education and service.

The primary objective is to provide the member associations and their stakeholders important educational and practical advancement in sport, sports governance and the diversification needed when dealing with para-sport.

“The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) is extremely excited about the first in a series of activations of the Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Sports Academy, which will commence with three international certification courses in National Coaching Development, Adaptive Sports and Sports Governance,” said the JOA Secretary-General.

“The three certification courses are an extension of the educational perspective of the JOA which also focused on internships.

“The International Certificate in Adaptive Sports will address the needs of coaches working with para-sport athletes and other special populations as the JOA seeks to provide coaches with a theoretical base for teaching sport and skill with a practical application for adaptive sport.”

Ryan disclosed that the Level III Coach Development Program is designed to provide coaches with the skills needed to be successful at the highest level of sports.

“The courses are focused on planning, advanced sport psychology, testing and evaluation, physical training and conditioning for performance programs, nutrition, and athlete safety,” he explained.

“While the International certification in Sports Governance will concentrate on the key areas of the role of the national federations, structures of accountability, decision-making, communication and transparency.”

The JOA, Foster said, will continue to provide avenues and opportunities for our constituents that will have a long-term impact on sports development no matter the type of sport.

The JOA and PUMA will be partnering to celebrate Jamaica’s independence in Paris on August 6 and JOA Day on August 7 in the historic capital of France which is known universally for its avant-garde and exquisite taste for cuisine and art.

But for those days Jamaica’s culture in sport, music and food  and Olympism will be  spotlighted and take pride of place in a glorious display for Jamaica’s golden sporting champions and ambassadors, Jamaican fans, patriots resident in France, the worldwide Olympic officialdom, international personalities in sport and entertainment and athletes across the Olympic spectrum.

President of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Christopher Samuda, in commenting on this historic and landmark partnership said, “We, the JOA and PUMA, are innovators in sport as we are constantly revolutionizing its ethos in giving capital and currency to stakeholders in building an inspiring world view of sport and in articulating a universal language of hope. It will be a Jamaican reggae yard experience in PUMA’s house, a home away from home sporting experience for many and a household name and legacy in the annals of Olympic history.”

This activation was inevitable as the messages of the JOA and PUMA converge in sporting values and prowess which are defining of their brands and way of life. JOA Secretary General and CEO, Ryan Foster, is an advocate of this and makes it clear that “August 6 and 7 will be the destinations in Paris for all roads will lead to Jamrock in PUMA’s house where food, music and our vibes will imprint values on the sporting landscape and leave lasting footprints.”

If there is any doubt as to the JOA’s perspective, Secretary General Foster provides certainty. “Globalizing brand Jamaica, internationalizing brand JOA and personalising sport remain a primary focus and mandate  and ‘JaParis’ our Olympic manor, will be iconic,” he said.

Central to the JOA’s domestic outlook and foreign policy are the athletes of its member associations and federations who President Samuda says “define what we do, how we do it and when we do it and the 2024 JOA PUMA French connection will be a blockbuster.”

In a few days shy of six months, members of the sporting fraternity will, in Paris, savour the best of the city courtesy of the JOA and PUMA.

Although without a medal for the last eight winter games, JOA President, Christopher Samuda, is still confident that "with the robust development programme on which the JOA has embarked with a view to broadening the menu of sports and deepening representation particularly among the next generation of youth, podium success is in the foreseeable future."

The expansive initiatives of the local governing body for winter sports demonstrate a commitment that has been ongoing. Since 2018, guided by its mantra "Sport for All, and All for Sport" which is also its rallying cry for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games, the JOA has invested significantly in the sport of bobsled in motivating the dreams and aspirations of Jamaica's athletes in achieving a historic top of the podium finishing.

An elated JOA Secretary-General and CEO, Ryan Foster, stated that "the JOA is extremely pleased with the results having invested over $12,000,000.00 since 2018 in our bobsled athletes in assisting them in their travel, training camps and accommodation and in facilitating their qualification.

Three athletes were selected by the JOA who benefited from Olympic Solidarity scholarships amounting to over $10,000,000.00 the funds of which were used to help the athletes in their day-to-day preparation to include nutritional support. Without the scholarship programme, many athletes would not be able to afford the expenses of their daily preparation for the games."

Sports require investment in human capital and JOA's policy has been unqualified. "Investment in winter is an investment for all seasons of sport as the JOA's philosophy and culture in so far as the development of sport and inspiring our youth are concerned, whether in competitive and recreational endeavours, is timeless, non-discriminatory and with the conviction that performances will become legendary," Samuda stated.

The qualification of teams in this year's winter Games – the men's four and two-way teams and in the women's monobob - and Benjamin Alexander in alpine skiing has earned congratulations from the ruling body.

In a recognition of the accomplishments, Foster stated "the JOA pays tribute and wishes all our athletes tremendous success in the upcoming games. Our gratitude to the management team led by Fitzgerald Mitchell, Chef de Mission, and Dr Wayne Palmer, sports leader and well-known and respected orthopaedic surgeon and the delegation's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Covid Liaison Officer (CLO), who no doubt will successfully navigate the landscape in China."

Meanwhile, Samuda in endorsing those sentiments remarked: "The accomplishment of our athletes is testament to the inspiration and commitment that has and continues to drive aspirations and dreams for themselves and their country on the ice and we are hopeful that a medal will be on the Beijing menu."

Italy will be the next destination for the winter games and already the JOA is visioning history in the making as it embarks upon a programme it has described as "The Italian Ice-Breaker” and awaits destiny.

Those games include the Summer and Winter Senior and Youth Olympic Games, the Pan American Games, the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, the Commonwealth Games and beach games staged by regional and world governing bodies.

Enabling and empowering stakeholders remains the primary focus of the JOA which in 2019 created history when it inaugurated its own athletes' scholarships valued at over $JMD 6,000,000.00 to match scholarships, under the aegis of the Olympic Solidarity Programme of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),  are granted to athletes selected by the JOA.

"We've always been a co-partner with our coaches who are the custodians of talent and in acknowledging that fact, the JOA is making another solid and scholarly investment in our human and technical capital in sport," JOA President Christopher Samuda said.

Applicants responding to the call will formally submit their credentials in a pre-determined format and those who are shortlisted will then go through a very practical interview process governed by an expert panel assembled by the apex body, which will determine the successful beneficiaries.

JOA Secretary General and CEO, Ryan Foster, who will manage the process, outlined the value of the scholarships and more importantly the values which the JOA will be promoting, as the benefactor, through this grant.

"It's more than the $2,000,000.00 dollars that each recipient will receive to assist them in educational and career pursuits and to defray expenses incurred in relation to the preparation of their athletes and certain personal expenses, for it will be an experience in the lessons of Olympism in which they will learn  the value of self-management and mastery, goal setting and achievement and ethics and business of sport," Foster explained.

A welcomed opportunity for Jamaica's coaches, the continued grant of the scholarships by the JOA will fill a void locally and "give our coaches a new lease on their sporting lives and signal to them that the JOA is on the frontline with them and their athletes in creating success" Foster further stated.

This initiative comes on the heels of the Olympic Coaches Reward which the JOA initiated at the Tokyo Olympic Games which saw the governing body rewarding coaches of successful medalists to the tune of JMD$5,000,000.00.

Sport development calls for structured strategic management of human resources and a viable infrastructure of which coaches are essential.

"Our coaches are foundational, the cornerstone of the sports architecture and therefore the JOA is building capacity and deepening the pool of competencies while giving them assistance in dealing with certain domestic obligations of life," Samuda remarked.

The JOA Olympic Coaches Scholarships will also provide opportunities for coaches selected to collaborate with global colleagues in the transfer of knowledge in master classes.

IOC President Thomas Bach, in announcing the decision Wednesday said there was a clear need for more solidarity.

"One important lesson that I hope we have all learnt from the current Coronavirus crisis is that we need more solidarity,” he said. “We need more solidarity within societies, but also among societies. Solidarity is one of the key Olympic values which the Olympic community is actively promoting. Today’s decision is a very strong demonstration in times of a worldwide crisis.”

Meantime, JOA President Christopher Samuda has hailed the decision by the IOC.

"The decision demonstrates an admirable commitment to the development of its member National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the athletes and is an empathetic response to the challenges being experienced by the global Olympic sport community in the wake of the COVID - 19 pandemic," he said.

The decision of the world governing body equates to 25 per cent increase in the funding of direct athlete support programmes which will benefit athletes of the national Olympic teams and IOC refugee Olympic teams and will support the wide range of athlete centric educational and developmental initiatives which the IOC undertakes particularly to empower NOCs to keep athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement.

"For the JOA the athletes come first and therefore we must invest strategically in their development in realising optimally their talents in competition and in providing them with a sound foundation and springboard beyond their competition life. The IOC's decision embodies this" President Samuda said.

One of the priorities of Olympic Solidarity for 2021-2024 quadrennial is to ensure good governance, financial control and compliance by strengthening capacity-building programmes for NOCs.

Secretary General and CEO of the JOA, Ryan Foster, commented: "the JOA is all about capacity building and institutional strengthening and therefore we can readily identify with and embrace this priority not only as a principle of good governance but as a way of life in sport"

Under terms of the agreement, the Academy will utilize the institution’s expertise and resources to aid Jamaica’s national sporting effort, which is already being upgraded with the JOA Scholarship and JOA Internship Programs that were launched last year.

Due to COVID-19, the recent historic signing ceremony was – for the USSA first-time - held virtually with the Academy faculty and staff on the institution’s campus in Daphne, Alabama, while the JOA and JPA partners signed in Jamaica.

The JOA and JPA team was led by President of both associations, Christopher Samuda and JPA Director and JOA Secretary-General and CEO, Ryan Foster.

“This partnership places the JOA and JPA and USSA at the epicentre of sport and sports development, which is education,” said JOA President, Christopher Samuda.

“Education is indeed at the heart of this partnership as the JOA, JPA and the Academy work together for those who will be the beneficiaries of knowledge and understanding in the various disciplines in sport; disciplines such as sports management and studies, exercise science, sports coaching and recreation management,” added Samuda.

Within a 24-hour span, it was the second occasion marking an agreement with an international partner that was signed off by the JOA, adding to the 10-year historic Memorandum of Strategic Alliance with World Eleven Inc./Argentina Football Association (AFA), which will provide advantages offered by the AFA’s Technology Institute to the benefit of Jamaica’s football.

The USSA traditionally holds face-to-face signings with its international partners and until COVID-19 cases have declined to a safe level, the Academy’s programs will also be delivered online to students and athletes in Jamaica.

“In many ways, the event being conducted virtually is emblematic of the world of sports in 2020,” said Dr Thomas ‘TJ’ Rosandich, Academy President and CEO. “Before this past February, a signing ceremony for a Protocol for Cooperation between the Jamaica Olympic Association and Jamaica Paralympic Association and the Academy would have been conducted in Kingston (Jamaica) amidst sessions on program planning.

“We’ve all seen the changes to the sports profession at the local, regional, continental and global levels this year. However, I view this step today in signing this protocol as an affirmation of the belief that sports will recover and continue to play a major role in society in the days to come,” Dr Rosandich expressed.

 The Protocol of Cooperation marks the return of the institution’s post-secondary, non-degree programs to Jamaica for the first time in a decade.

 Samuda commented: “Cross fertilisation you may call it, cross-pollination, transfer of knowledge, however you may characterise this partnership that has come into being, what is clear is that sport has not only won the battle but the war and that we, the JOA, the JPA and the USSA are transforming qualitatively the game through education and giving sports a defining perspective of multilateral cooperation. Multilateral for this partnership will birth others in education as we here in Jamaica continue to build out the infrastructure in sport on a solid and secure foundation and create synergies across physical borders which cannot deny us the bond, which today has been established.”

Foster, the main driver behind the JOA’s Scholarship and Internship programmes, noted the JOA and JPA’s belief in empowerment through education and training and the legacy it creates for athletes, administrators and other professionals in sports.

“The opportunities that are being made available through this partnership are pioneering - never witnessed before. Members and indeed the wider local fraternity of sport will have more options to expand and broaden their capabilities through the various programmes that will be offered at the bachelor, post-graduate and doctoral levels. With trademark vision and purpose, the JOA and JPA will unite with the USSA, which has a 40-year track record in the delivery of sports education across 65 countries, in creating an enviable model of sports collaboration and development,” said Foster.

“The signal work of Dr T.J. Rosandich, President and CEO of the USSA and his team in facilitating this historic partnership; the stewardship and foresight of President Samuda in identifying and negotiating opportunities for the benefit of our membership and stakeholders; and my own passion to build viable partnerships within and beyond Jamaica that give meaning to lives in sport are motivated by service, an opportunity for which our colleagues and ourselves are grateful,” Foster added.

The Academy has delivered post-secondary, non-degree sport education programs in some 67 countries over nearly half a century. Once COVID-19 cases decline to a safe level, the institution plans to teach its programs on the ground in Jamaica.

Dr Rosandich said: “Fortunately, the Academy is well prepared to provide the quality sports education and workforce development programs that the JOA and JPA are seeking.

“The Academy is already an acknowledged leader in providing online distance education programs. As conditions change and travel restrictions in Jamaica ease, the Academy is prepared to revert to onsite, face-to-face instruction,” said Dr Rosandich.

On a recent visit to the Czech Republic, JOA President, Christopher Samuda,  who was a guest of the Liberec Film Festival Organization, proposed an Olympic partnership  dubbed the "Kingston-Liberec Connection" - between the cities of  Kingston and Liberec in strengthening bi-lateral relationships between Jamaica and the Czech Republic in the sport film industry.

President Samuda, who was also a speaker at the festival, expressed confidence that the proposed partnership will serve to "birth and develop a sporting cultural economy that will see mutual investments in talents across the professional spectrum in the sport-film industry while giving the peoples of Jamaica and the Czech Republic opportunities to experience, in cinema and film, cultural realities of each other in bridging the oceanic divide."

Mayor Zámečník welcomed the proposal and signaled the support of the city of Liberec which has a very respectable and enviable history in sport and the film festival.

Within the context of history in the making, JOA Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Foster said “the JOA looks within but also beyond the boundaries of Jamaica for partners who, with us, will establish landmark executions and lasting legacies for the benefit of generations in the global village of sport."

  Meanwhile, Renata Balašová, director of the Liberec International Film Festival, which has a history spanning more than two decades, endorsed what promises to be an exciting and innovative “connection”.

Entitled the "Kingston Liberec Connection" the initiative comes at a time when the JOA's educational agenda, through its "Stamina" series, will be expanding its reach across the hemisphere building capacity in athletes, coaches and administrators intra and extra-regionally.

"We the JOA are a homegrown product rooted in the soil of Jamrock but this administration considers the apex body also as an international commodity in the business of sport as we play our part in sustaining an ever dynamic universal sport economy," Samuda said.

The Czech Olympic Committee has also expressed its support of what will be undoubtedly a groundbreaking “connection” in modern sport diplomacy.

Foster takes his seat at the table among regional experts from English, Spanish and French-speaking countries that form the membership of the sport organization and will, along with colleague commission members, script the technical agenda for over 35 sports of the Games.

"Jamaica has a seat on an important Commission, which really is the competition engine of the Games and our team, led by President Luis Meija Oviedo, will ensure that service above self and regional commitment guarantee the CAC vehicle firing on all cylinders and going the extra mile," said Foster in reacting to his appointment.

“The Technical Commission provides oversight management of all technical matters of the Games and this Foster said "is itself a mandate to ensure that the technical rules and protocols of the Games promote fairness and integrity in inspiring confidence in the athletes, officials and other stakeholders".

Jamaica has a distinguished history at the CAC Games and the last edition in 2018 in Barranquilla, Colombia, was the most successful Games on all counts - the largest athlete contingency, the most medals achieved and the most disciplines participating.

Foster has transitioned his technical expertise to the regional level. A member of the Finance Commission of the Pan American Sport Organization (PASO), Foster is a committed regionalist and brings to the leading sport entities over 15 years of advocacy for greater and more strategic resource management of sport for the region.

However, the JOA Secretary General, from a national perspective, promises that "Jamaica's experience at the next CAC Games will be very hi-tech in performance and management”.

President of the JOA, Christopher Samuda, was brief but pointed in his reaction to Foster's appointment.

"An athlete's best choice, an official and administrator's preferred choice and the region's sport benefactor. Well deserved," said Samuda.

With the Olympic Games on the horizon, this has meant a loss of playing opportunity for many who are hoping to get in tip-top shape and engage in competition to qualify for sports’ biggest spectacle.

For others, it is more than just being starved of competition but opportunities to earn and the benefit of communities from a social and economic standpoint in helping to curb violence and provide a source of income for many.

With the signage of a three-year JMD$45 million agreement between Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) and the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), there is hope that such shortcomings will be rectified with an expanded return of sporting competition locally.

In making the announcement, Dennis Chung, CEO, Supreme Ventures Services Ltd., said: “We join hands once more with another major sporting organization, the JOA, so you can truly achieve our goal of becoming a launching pad that propels our local athletes even further.

“The partnership includes a 45-million-dollar investment to develop local sports over three years, commencing in April 2021,” he added.

Underlining sports’ social implications, Chung recorded satisfaction with the timing of this deal with the apex body for local sport.

He said: “I'm happy that this is happening because the truth is that sports are integral to the development, not only of the commercial part but the communities. I know that when we have had issues with violence in the past, one of the first things people always say is let us get sports in the communities and therefore it is important for us if we are going to develop not just in the sporting fraternity, but as a country that we are a part of this walk with the JOA.”

Chung further related the lack of sporting opportunity in Jamaica, while competition has long resumed in other jurisdictions globally.

“We are thankful that this agreement came to fruition in such a time of uncertainty and recognise the importance of uplifting our local stakeholders in the sports community because others globally have moved on and we have to do it also,” he urged.

“The sports industry, like many others, has experienced the negative impact of COVID-19 and more than ever require Jamaica’s support, both publicly and also in the private sector. With this agreement, we hope to aid in the promotion and progression of the Olympic Movement in Jamaica and we highly anticipate the chance to witness our athletes back in action,” said Chung, a former CEO of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ).

Principals of the JOA, President Chris Samuda and Secretary General/CEO, Ryan Foster, highlighted aspects of their action plan in line with the ideals of Olympism.

Samuda challenged: “Speak to me, speak with me about the Olympic values and ideals that will characterize this partnership for the benefit of countless athletes and sports federations that will, through our Olympic Invest $40M program, give pursuits in sport hope to the hopeless, courage to the discouraged, faith to the faithless, dreams to the undreamt, credibility to the incredible, possibility to the impossibility, realism to the unreal and victory in conquering emotions of defeat.”

The JOA president also noted: “What Jamaica needs is a national business plan and strategies that are customized to the dynamics of the evolving global business of sport and safeguards of best practices and working concepts that understand the local sporting culture; a national corporate plan that integrates, beyond talk, sport with tourism, entertainment and environment and is executed by multi-skilled professionals whose work is governed by timelines, goalscoring GDP deliverables and whose performances are judged by the success of the outcomes.”

Foster reminded us that “the modern Olympic Movement, as we know it, was championed by a Frenchman who believed in the importance of sport in human development and the attainment of world peace. It was his view that success was not measured by winning, but by consistent effort and that when all else fails integrity should hold true.

“The Jamaica Olympic Association, through its board and corporate team, are firm believers in this way of life and seek through their activities to demonstrate this daily,” he added.

“Supreme Ventures will be partnering with the JOA in not only assisting with the development of sport through our member associations, but they will also engage the JOA in numerous activations that span not only the Olympic Games but also the other major Games under the JOA umbrella such as the CAC, PanAm and the Commonwealth Games,” Foster explained.

“With this investment of $45m, Supreme Ventures is now one of the largest corporate sponsors of the JOA and supports one of our strategic objectives to ascertain as least 50 per cent of our funding external to grant and solidarity funds.”

He added: “Supreme Ventures will also partner with the JOA in the continued expansion of our educational perspective, which is centred around education being the best possible pension plan for life after sport. Let us together live out the Olympic motto - faster, higher, stronger.”