The Jamaica Ski Federation (JSF) aims to transform qualification into medals in competition at global sporting championships. What was once a novelty for the sunny isle of Jamaica has now become a regular occurrence with Jamaican athletes and teams lining up on start lists for the world’s biggest events on ice.
That growing trend has seen Jamaica glide into the ongoing Winter Youth Olympic Games, dubbed ‘Gangwon 2024, in South Korea, with Henri Rivers IV and his twin sister Henniyah providing first-time individual representation in Alpine skiing.
Acknowledging their growing influence, secretary general of the JSF, Ryan Foster, says they are pleased with their historic qualification and will advance the preparation of its athletes for Olympic Games, with the ultimate goal to secure podium spots.
“The Jamaica Ski Federation is excited about this new chapter in Jamaica’s journey into Winter Olympic sports. We had success in Winter Olympics with Benjamin Alexander’s qualification and now having two qualifiers in the Youth Winter Olympics,” he observed.
“This is historic and we will be ramping up our efforts to qualify more athletes for the sport. Our aim is to learn and grow from each chapter to ultimately seeking to medal in the sport. Sport is a business and the novelty of just qualifying has worn out and we need to provide avenues and opportunities for our athletes to medal,” Foster stated.
“The Jamaica Ski Federation has many plans in place to include our coaching programme, increased participation in competitions, as well as the purchasing of equipment to compete at an international level,” he announced.
Henri IV and Henniyah are actually two-thirds of a triplet of skiers, which is completed by Helaina. Their parents, Henri and Karen, are both ski instructors and coaches who the 16-year-olds say have taught them well.
The senior Henri, of the family who lives in Brooklyn, New York, has been instrumental in the development of skiing talent among black athletes and was president of the National Brotherhood of Skiers, the largest African American ski council in the world, with over 50 clubs in the United States and United Kingdom.
The twins qualified to represent Jamaica through their Jamaican-born mom Karen and shared that they are happy to have connected to their roots in this way.
“I thank the Jamaica Ski Federation and the Jamaica Olympic Association for allowing me to represent Jamaica on a global scale. This trip means a lot to me in so many ways; being able to compete against other athletes and nations from all over the world, and to see the excitement on their faces when they receive a Jamaican pin. It’s like getting a golden ticket to go to the chocolate factory,” Henri IV lit up. “I didn't understand it, but I became eager to be a part of their excitement.
“But the most important thing to me is the fact that I’m able to race at a high level representing Jamaica, a place that doesn't have snow,” continued Henri IV, who has a world ranking of 34.
“My goal is to perform at my best and to hopefully inspire the next generation of young Jamaican snow sports athletes.”
Henniyah was just as appreciative, bubbling at the opportunity to represent Jamaica.
“I am very excited to be here in Gangwon, Korea, experiencing and competing in the 2024 Youth Olympic Games. I appreciate and thank the Jamaica Ski Federation and the Jamaica Olympic Association for giving me this opportunity,” she admitted.
“I’m fortunate alpine skiing has given me the potential to represent my mother’s homeland. I am thrilled to ski here this week, I’m excited to perform and do what I love, and I am truly excited to embrace Jamaica through winter sports,” Henniyah, ranked 39th, continued. “I will never forget this extraordinary experience and this journey helps me connect with my heritage.”
Foster, in the meantime, remains positive, yet inspired by the national skiing federation’s prospects.
“The Rivers triplets are trendsetters and we will be pushing to expand from here,” he said. “Jamaica is now a force to be reckoned with in Winter Sports."
Americas Paralympic Committee gains autonomy, assumes ownership of regional games from IPC
The Americas Paralympic Committee (APC), the regional governing body for Paralympic sports for North, South and Central America and the Caribbean with a membership of 33 countries, has gained autonomy from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the global apex body.
The APC will now assume full ownership and delivery of senior and junior para regional games. In previous years, the IPC managed and sponsored those games but, after a period of several discussions and negotiations, the regional events have fallen to the APC and directors of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) are playing an instrumental role in history making.
President of the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA), Christopher Samuda and JPA directors, Ryan Foster, Carmen Patterson and Winfield Boban are committing their professional expertise and experience in building the new APC.
Samuda, an attorney-at-law, is an APC executive board director and will spearhead legal and corporate governance affairs while Foster, a chartered accountant, will, as co-chairman of the Finance Commission, pilot the financial viability and fortunes of the regional body. Patterson, a corporate communications specialist, will join regional experts in delivering the brand and marketing strategies and activations of the APC and Boban will bring to the educational portfolio his knowledge and experience gained, particularly as a practitioner in rehabilitation management and prosthetics.
The IPC, the global governing body, delivers every four years the world’s largest multi-sport para event, the Paralympic Games, which this year will take place in Paris, France, from August 28 to September 8. The Santiago 2023 Para Panamerican Games, which was held in Chile, from November 17 to 26, witnessed the IPC’s last ownership of the games.
Commenting on the historic role Jamaica will play Samuda said: “It is in our sporting DNA to construct, for the able with a difference, the present and future based on values in the hope that our work and that of our colleagues will birth an apex regional sporting body of probity which history will record as revolutionary and visionary.”
Foster, advocates the imperative of a sound financial framework and base and gives a clear signal of what will be approach. “The sub-structure of any organization is crucial to the profitability of its superstructure and frugal management of expenses, innovative investment and revenue strategies as well as disciplined treasury operations are foundational to success.”
With the APC assuming ownership, there will be “a dominant focus on establishing and monetizing international partnerships and commercializing proprietary rights and games’ media broadcast rights” Samuda said “while building regional capacity through the delivery of business and technical activations during and external to games,” he further added.
Games are the lifeblood of governing regional and international bodies and Foster makes the case that “APC will be to its stakeholders more than a breath of fresh air as it will represent for them the very essence and excellence of para sports.”
The heart of the Paralympic movement across the multi-lingual continents of the Americas and the Caribbean archipelago, the APC is keeping an appointment with destiny.
Samuda, Soutar remember Lawrence as champion for athletes and sports development
Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president Christopher Samuda and chairman of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) George Soutar said the void left by Hubert Lawrence will be hard to fill, as they paid tribute to the respected track and field analysis, whose untimely passing has cast a pall of gloom over the sporting fraternity.
Lawrence, 64, who was also well-known for his authorship, and historical documentation, passed away at home on Friday.
Samuda remembered Lawrence as an authority on Jamaican and global track and field, who played a crucial role in television coverage of various athletic events, including the Olympics, World Championships, and local meets.
The veteran analyst had been an integral part of the track and field commentary for more than three decades, his passion for the sport evident in his dedicated contributions to both television and written media.
“Hubert Lawrence was not simply an encyclopedia of statistics and historical data of others, but more importantly, he was himself a landmark that gave a nation in his commentary a self-portrait in track and field. A man in the mirror vision of where an athletic fraternity stood in his development and the journey must take in order to progress and mature,” Samuda shared.
“He gave statistics context in his written and spoken word, so that players could understand the culture of the sport more, their role and responsibility, and be guided by the principles of Olympicism, which is pen-inked in personalizing successive Olympic Games. The Olympic family mourns his mortality, but is assured and assures his family that his soul now rests eternally,” he added.
Beyond his on-screen presence, Lawrence was a prolific author, having written and co-authored significant books on track and field. Some notable works include "Champs 100" in 2010, "The Power and the Glory: Jamaica in World Athletics, From World War II to the Diamond League Era" in 2012, and "50 Days of Fire" in 2022.
Lawrence, who Soutar described as a true champion for athletes and sports development in Jamaica, inspiring generations with his passion and knowledge, leaves behind a profound impact on the track and field community in Jamaica and beyond.
“He was well known for his balanced and insightful commentaries and interviews, not only to local sports but also in the region and internationally.
“Jamaica has lost a dedicated, and one of our most knowledgeable sports analysts and commentators. On behalf of the Sports Development Foundation, our condolences go out to his family and the sports fraternity,” Soutar said.
Curling Jamaica unveils three-pronged approach to identify and develop talent, welcomed by Jamaica Olympic Association in ambitious winter-sports expansion
In a bid to unearth potential curling talents for Jamaica's international representation, Vice President of Curling Jamaica, Robert Richards, outlined three key avenues during the launch of Curling Jamaica at the Jamaica Olympic Association's headquarters in Kingston.
A former president of the Jamaica Badminton Association and national badminton champion, Richards expressed his commitment to Curling Jamaica's mission, especially with President Ian Anderson's ambitious goal of securing Olympic gold by 2040. Speaking at the launch on Monday, Richards emphasized the three areas from which they aim to identify and develop curling talents.
"The development of this sport is going to come from, of course, those based overseas, and there are three avenues that we're going to take on to actually have the sport developed," said Richards. The first avenue involves Jamaicans based overseas, particularly those waiting for an opportunity or currently participating in another sport. Richards sees potential among young Jamaicans in colleges, not only in Canada and the US but also in Europe.
The second avenue focuses on students leaving Jamaica to study abroad. Traditionally, sports like football and track and field have been the primary choices, but with the establishment of the Curling Association, students now have an additional option. This diversification allows talented youngsters to explore new avenues and consider curling as a viable sporting path.
The third avenue involves collaboration with the Canadian team to identify potential curling talents in Jamaican schools. The vision includes sponsoring selected youngsters to attend the Curling Academy in Canada, covering their accommodation and training expenses. This initiative aims to nurture talent from an early age and potentially pave the way for scholarships and further opportunities in the sport.
Earlier, JOA Secretary General and CEO Ryan Foster welcomed Curling Jamaica to the Olympic family during the launch.
Foster highlighted the significance of Jamaica's expansion into winter sports, citing the growth in disciplines like skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, and now curling. He commended Curling Jamaica for contributing to the country's multiplicity of representation in the Winter Olympics, opening avenues for potential medals.
Foster assured Curling Jamaica of the Jamaica Olympic Association's support in fostering a holistic approach to sports governance, including educational perspectives, coaching development, equipment resources, and infrastructure support. He expressed pride in the association's open-minded approach to sports, expanding from 36 to 52 sporting disciplines.
In closing, Foster welcomed Curling Jamaica to the Jamaica Olympic family, expressing hope that the organization would manage the sport with enthusiasm, providing hope to athletes and embodying the national motto, "Out of Many, One People." He pledged the JOA's unwavering support in Curling Jamaica's quest for achievement, emphasizing the shared commitment to success in the Winter Olympics.
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