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• Sports Ministry giving J$45M in grants to Olympians, Paralympian

  As a token of appreciation for their efforts, members of Jamaica’s team to the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, France will be compensated through grants from the Government of Jamaica, the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, said at a press conference on Monday.

  “I have J$45M allocated to provide Appreciation Grants to members of Jamaica’s delegation to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” she said.

  Grange said the money was being disbursed directly to 66 athletes, including one Paralympian, and 21 athlete support personnel who formed Jamaica’s delegation to the games.

  These grants are in addition to over twenty million dollars disbursed to athletes under the Athletes Assistance Programme as they prepared for the Paris Games, according to Grange.

  Junior athletes who competed at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru will also receive gift vouchers totaling J$760,000 from the Ministry.

  The Minister was speaking at the press conference to announce the Jamaica leg of the new global athletics league, Grand Slam Track, being led by the former World and Olympic champion and record holder, Michael Johnson.

• Former Sportsmax presenter Alex Jordan, Carlos Brathwaite honoured with special sports award at Barbados Labour Party ceremony

   Accomplished athlete and sports commentator Alex Jordan was recognized with a Special Sports Award on Friday night at the 85th Annual Conference of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Awards Ceremony. The prestigious event, held at the Christchurch Foundation School, also saw former West Indies cricketer Carlos Brathwaite receiving an award, with Barbados Prime Minister The Honourable Mia Mottley and President of Guyana Dr. Irfaan Ali in attendance.

  Jordan, a versatile broadcaster and beloved sports commentator across the Caribbean, was celebrated for her outstanding contributions to sports journalism. The citation highlighted her dynamic career, which spans over 20 years, and her representation of Barbados in squash, golf, and swimming. Fluent in four languages, Jordan has also played diplomatic roles for the Government of Barbados on several United Nations bodies, further demonstrating her multi-faceted talents.

  “Kaitlin Alexandra Jordan is a dynamic athlete, broadcaster, and sports commentator, who has proudly represented Barbados in squash, golf, and swimming. Fluent in four languages, Alex has played key diplomatic roles for the Government of Barbados on several UN bodies. With over 20 years of experience in radio and TV broadcasting, she has focused her career on sports journalism,” the citation read.

  Jordan’s career has seen her grow into a prominent figure in Caribbean sports broadcasting. After returning to Barbados to help launch the Alex Jordan Morning Show on SLAM 101, she transitioned into sports broadcasting, eventually commentating for the Caribbean Premier League. She has since earned a global audience, covering major sporting events like the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning fans across the Caribbean for her knowledge and passion.

  

  Jordan and fellow awardee Carlos Brathwaite at the rostrum on Friday where they received their awards.

  In an emotional acceptance speech, Jordan expressed her deep pride in being a Barbadian and her admiration for the leadership of Prime Minister Mottley and President Ali.

  “May I just say how proud I am to be a Barbadian. We are from such a unique place, and what has distinguished us in the region and the world is our government. I am so grateful for the productivity, the professionalism, the decision-making, and action of this government,” said Jordan.

  She also spoke about the importance of regional unity and the strong relationship between Barbados and Guyana: “I am so happy to see these two leaders from Barbados and Guyana, their relationship, their regional and global vision reinforcing how important it is to our identity to understand that we are part of a collective. They are so smart and vibrant and making waves around the world; wherever I go in the world, people tell me how much they admire Mia Mottley, and it makes me deeply proud.”

  Jordan’s recognition underscores her significant contributions to sports and Caribbean culture, continuing to inspire through her engaging presence in sports media.

  Meanwhile, Brathwaite, best known for his match-winning four consecutive sixes in the 2016 T20 World Cup final, was also honoured during the ceremony, adding another highlight to a night dedicated to celebrating the BLP's finest talents.

   

   

   

   

• Long overdue: UK based entities Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon have joint-proposal accepted by Jamaican Sport Ministry to redevelop National Stadium

  The redevelopment of the place that has played host to so many of Jamaica’s track and field heroes, the National Stadium, is close to beginning as Jamaica’s Ministry of Sport has accepted a joint proposal from UK based entities Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon to oversee the project.

  Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Hon. Olivia Grange made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday providing updates on the redevelopment project.

  “We met with representatives from both Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon and they submitted a joint proposal to us for the renovation and redevelopment of facilities at Independence Park, particularly the National Stadium,” the Minister said on Tuesday.

  She continued: “The document, in essence, proposes to, not only address the shortcomings of the existing stadium, but to identify, through qualitative and quantitative assessment, the full potential for this iconic stadium with enhancement as a major tournament venue, training centre and visitor attraction to promote Jamaica and Jamaican sport talent.”

  Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon have worked together many times and have been involved in stadiums around the world such as Wembley, the Emirates Stadium, the 02 Arena, Stadio Olimpico and the San Siro.

  “My Ministry, through its oversight committee and the executing agency, Independence Park Limited, is of the view that Ryder Architecture and CAA Icon can deliver on the proposal given the entities’ years in the business of building and redeveloping sports facilities worldwide,” Grange said.

  The project will see the capacity of the National Stadium increase from 28,500 to 35,000 and will make the country able to bid to host major global events like the World Athletics Championships.

  Dispensing with the bleachers, establishing modern facilities for anti-doping, new facilities for media, the establishment of a modern and iconic sports museum, new modern lighting, new seating options, new conference and meeting facilities, premium suites and lounges and new concession facilities among other upgrades were discussed by Grange’s team and the entities.

  The next step in the re-development project of the National Stadium is a stadium assessment and feasibility study.

  “The study includes a thorough economic and feasibility analysis to identify local and international market demand to ensure that use, and therefore design proposals are aligned to economic demand,” Grange said before stating that these studies will commence in a few weeks and be completed within eight months.

  The results of those studies will inform phase two which is the project initiation, concept design and approval stage.

  Phase three will involve the detailed design and appointment of a contractor in which a groundbreaking date of August 2025 is being targeted.

  Phase four will involve construction and phase five is the operational readiness and handover.

  Grange anticipates that the whole project will last about 30 months or two and a half years.

  The football field and running track will be unaffected during the construction process according to Independence Park Limited General Manager, Major Desmon Brown, who noted that the only inconvenience caused will be a limited capacity of seats for the duration of the process.

  The funding for this project came from a government to government framework for co-operation agreement signed by Jamaica’s Finance Minister, the Hon. Nigel Clarke, and CEO of UK Export Finance, Tim Reid earlier this year.

  Clarke, as well as UK Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, Baroness Jennifer Chapman, were both in attendance on Tuesday.

  “UK Export Finance are delighted that this agreement will enable them to support Jamaica’s game changing national priority projects and is proud to back the implementation of high-quality UK solutions and innovations alongside UK Government funding,” said Chapman.

  “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to get this deal over the finish line before the departure of Mr. Clarke for his next role at the IMF,” she added.

  “When I met the head of the UK Export Finance at a function at the UK High Commission, light bulbs began to go off because there he was in Jamaica looking for business and engagement and I know have projects that we want to develop but where the technical capacity is not abundantly available in Jamaica, for obvious reasons,” Clarke said.

  “Sparks began to fly about how we could use the format of a government to government co-operation with the UK Export entity to provide the framework through which the feasibility could be delivered and the construction to follow for the stadium,” he added.