In response to a recent request from the JGA, the FIG, in partnership with Spieth Gymnastics, has agreed to provide, free of costs, a complete vault set with springboard and landing mats and a set of uneven bars and landing mats.

President of the Jamaican Association, Nicole Grant, confirmed the news to Sportsmax.TV on Wednesday.

She explained that the association reached out to FIG in response to several requests to host events which they were unable to because they lacked the necessary equipment. The association, she revealed, is still in need of several additional pieces.

“We have been getting numerous requests to host FIG Certified events but without the certified equipment we can’t host,” Grant said.

“We now need one FIG Certified Balance Beam and we will be on our way for the girls. We have a way to go for the boys.

“Our gymnasts have also been improving at a rapid rate and as they get to higher levels the degree of difficulty also increases which requires safer equipment. The current stock of equipment we have is training equipment and the more technical skills are harder to execute on them.”

Notwithstanding the shortfall, she expressed gratitude to the world governing body for helping them fulfil a need.

“We are very thankful to the President of the FIG, Mr. (Morinari) Watanabe, who has been doing an awesome job in focusing a little more than on smaller countries involved in the sports as part of his mantra to develop gymnastics worldwide. We are super appreciative of his generosity,” she said.

“We are also very grateful to Naomi Valenzo, President of the Pan American Gymnastics Union for helping to make this request a reality. Naomi has also been working very hard to help countries like Jamaica and the Caribbean develop our gymnastics program and infrastructure.

“We would also like to express our gratitude to Mr Buompane, FIG Presidential Commission, Ms Olivia Billie Pena, FIG Coach, Education Programs Manager and all the staff who helped to make this a reality.”