President of the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, Chris Stoke, insists the team will now shift all its attention into competition mode following an unsuccessful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) on behalf of the country’s two-woman team.

On Monday, a CAS panel rejected an appeal filed by woman bobsledder Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian who had called for a recalculation of the point rankings for the Beijing 2022 Quota Allocation for the two-woman event, based only on races that actually took place. 

The appeal was based on the decision made by the Olympic organisers after inclement weather had led to the cancelation of a meet scheduled for Germany on December 4.  According to the filing, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation instead counted a December 5 competition twice, which allowed a sled piloted by France’s Margot Boch to qualify for the final spot in the two-woman bobsled competition at the Olympics. The decision meant Audra Segree, Fenlator-Victorian's brakewoman, missed out on a spot via a tiebreak.  The court, however, rejected the appeal.

While insisting it was important to air their grouses, Stokes insists the team is ready to move on.

“The decision has come down as dismissed, we accept that wholeheartedly.  Winning is one thing but the more important thing is to speak up and I’m very proud of Jazmine for speaking up,” Stokes said.

“We maintain that it is better sports results be determined on the field of play and not in administration but we put that behind us and we are now in a high-performance zone and we are getting ready for competition.”

Fenlator-Victorian will compete in the Women’s Monobob, which gets underway on February 11.  Jamaica’s men’s team will compete in both the Two-Man and Four-Man events, which get underway a few days later.

In what could be seen as its clearest demonstration yet of its thrust towards equity, diversity and development, the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has selected a list of Chef De Missions for next six major international campaigns.

Former national squash player Karen Anderson will lead Jamaica’s delegation to the 2022 Caribbean Games, Rudolph Speid takes Jamaica to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, Paulton Gordon will assume duties for the 2023 CAC Games while Nicole Grant Brown will be at the helm for the Pan Am Games.

Corporate Business Executive and Owner, Ian Kelly wears the hat of delegation leader for the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024 while Businessman and Sports Administrator Gregory Moore takes the helm for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

This broad and varied selection exemplifies the JOA’s quest to bring a higher level of leadership across the spectrum of sports in Jamaica.

"The JOA will continue to not only professionalize the management of the Games under our remit but will continue to provide opportunities for our members to participate in the space and to make meaningful contributions to the Jamaican sporting arena,” said JOA General-Secretary Ryan Foster.

“We believe in providing an avenue for all as sport does not reside with one person or association but we all have our own contribution to make. The naming of the Chef de Missions for the various games is a broad representation of what we have articulated in our Sport for All campaign.

“We see the games as a critical part in the self-actualization of many in their quest for greatness but it is also one facet of how the JOA continues to support the growth and development of sport in Jamaica."

For Anderson, who has represented Jamaica in shooting and squash, her appointment is rewarding on several levels.

“It is a great honour to represent my country as the Chef De Mission for the Caribbean Games. I have represented Jamaica as a player, a referee, and coach at both Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games, so going into sports administration as the Chef De Mission for multi-sport games is almost a natural transition for me,” she said.

“I look forward to the challenge of it, the opportunity of it and it’s the first Caribbean Games so it’s an honour to be thought of to be considered and selected for that role.”

She was quick to point out that with herself and Nicole Grant being selected for similar roles over the next four years is a step forward to women, who have largely been overlooked for similar roles in previous years but who have now been given the opportunity to demonstrate that they are as equally capable to executing well in positions usually reserved for their male counterparts.

“I think it has just been opportunity and for women to be seen that we can do the job just as equally if not sometimes better than men. It’s great that the JOA is now putting women out there and giving us those opportunities to shine,” she said.

“We have the capacity to do it so it’s just a matter of being given an opportunity. This is a time when the JOA is stepping to the fore and saying here are these women, let’s give them the opportunity to lead on an international level, which I think is remarkable on their part.”

Paulton Gordon heads the Jamaica Basketball Association and has led the fraternity on several international campaigns. For him, this is yet another opportunity to grow and develop as an administrator as well as another feather in his cap on a personal level.

“I am elated to serve,” he said. “It will provide me with a more rounded view of the dynamics involved in a multi-sport, multi-cultural environment.  It will certainly broaden my knowledge base and competence in planning, organizing and the coordinating the participation of a large contingent at a major sporting event.”

More broadly, he said, “It provides an opportunity to further contribute to the development of sport and hone skills that require cultural adjustments based on the international nature of the appointment. Networking opportunities will emerge that will facilitate human resource growth and allow the sporting bodies to tap into opportunities regionally.”

Following on the heels of businessman and JOA director Gary Peart being named Chef De Mission for Jamaica’s successful and history-making campaign at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan in 2021, Ian Kelly, Derrimon Trading Chief Financial Officer and Director of many corporate boards, follows in a similar fashion for the Paris Games in 2026.

The JOA has continued to adopt a business approach to the execution of the games and Ian will bring not only his corporate expertise but also his knowledge of managing sport teams, the JOA said.

Similarly, President of Jamaica Esports Initiative, Gregory Moore cites his opportunity as one that will create synergies that will foster a changed mindset as it relates to sports in Jamaica.

“I am honoured to have been appointed Chef De Mission to the next staging of the Winter Olympics in Italy in 2026. I am a businessman and also the president of the Jamaica eSports Initiative, which is a federation under the JOA. We had taken a different approach towards getting that federation up and running.

“We decided to work on structure first so we spent the last two years with a structured approach, more administrative than just pushing the activity by itself.

“With this appointment, I intend to have the same approach because sports are a business and if you don’t treat it as such you won’t be able to facilitate expansion and I believe the JOA has shown that over the last few years taking that business-structured approach.”

The aforementioned approach, Moore believes, will help facilitate the kind of growth that the country will ultimately benefit from in that growth creates opportunities and those opportunities will continue to drive diversification and development.

“I know that the primary role is to ensure the welfare and the well-being of the team, so that will definitely come first, but I will be seeking opportunities for co-working and creating synergies between international entities and our local entities because that is what is going to create more synergies in Jamaica between federations, between organizations. I am just going to play my role, focus on the team and try to see where opportunities will come up for us to form some relationships to create synergies.”

Sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah and sprint hurdler, Hansle Parchment, were named Jamaica’s National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year for 2021, at the RJRGleaner Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards ceremony held on Friday night.

The event was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thompson-Herah had a phenomenal 2021 season, which included her winning the 100m at the Diamond League final in Zurich and running 10.54 at the Eugene Diamond League to become the fastest woman alive and second fastest woman of all time.

Her greatest achievement in 2021, however, would have to be when she became the first woman in history to win the sprint double at consecutive Olympic Games.

Backing up her exploits from Rio in 2016, Thompson-Herah produced times of 10.61 and 21.53 to win gold medals in both the 100m and 200m at the Tokyo Olympics, in addition to being a part of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team, alongside Briana Williams, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who finished as runner-up for the Sportswoman of the Year award, and Shericka Jackson, that won the gold medal in a national record 41.02.

Parchment shocked the world to win gold in the Men’s 110m Hurdles in Tokyo, nine years after his bronze medal performance at the London Olympics.

He ran 13.04 to win gold in Tokyo ahead of prohibitive favourite Grant Holloway of the USA.

The past student of Morant Bay High and Kingston College was also third at the Diamond League final in Zurich.

His teammate Ronald Levy, who was the runner-up for the Sportsman of the Year Award, took home the bronze medal in Tokyo.

Other major awards given out on the day include the Chairman's Award to veteran journalist Lance Whittaker; the People's Choice "Performance of the Year Award" to Fraser McConnell; the VM Group Y.O.U.T.H Award to sprinter Tina Clayton and the Gleaner Newspaper Iconic Award to Michael Holding.

Jamaica Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (JBSF) High Performance Director Mark Silver has lamented the circumstances that saw the country’s women’s two-woman team edged out of the Olympic qualifying positions.

Up to last month, the women’s team of Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and brake woman Audra Segree were favoured to be listed among the automatic qualifiers for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, among the world’s top 12 teams.  By the time January rolled around, however, a conflation of unfortunate circumstances had changed things entirely.  According to Silver, things began to go wrong from the perspective of the team at Latvia's Sigulda World Series where there was a Covid-19 outbreak.

“We did everything we could.  We missed out because of the weather and believe it or not Covid,” Silver explained.

How it works is there are races across the world, after Christmas, the first race was in Latvia, and unfortunately, 7 athletes couldn’t race, which meant that athletes that would have finished lower down finished higher and received points that they wouldn’t have if the race was full of athletes,” he added. 

“In another race, a massive amount of snow meant that athletes who raced later benefited from the snow being clear.  Now, with the snow it's part of the sport, we expect that.”

In the final standing, the team finished tied with France for the final spot but were edge out via the tiebreak.  The team could still qualify for the Games if France or any of the other 10 teams above them Germany, Canada, United States, China, ROC, Switzerland, Romania, Austria, Great Britain, Australia, or Belgium are unable to take part in the event.

“With Covid, the girls finished third overall on the NAC, and before Christmas, I would have said I was confident and with the press release, had it been what we had expected and predicted they were probably our safest option,” he added 

“However, things that changed but that’s sports.  For each bad thing that goes against you sometimes we get good things and fingers crossed we were bang on points, and who knows maybe this time around luck will go with us.  Hopefully not at the expense of anyone else but hopefully the girls will get to live their dreams as well because they worked so hard.”

The initiative by the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) to invest millions into its equipment grant is bearing fruit with a number of member associations making use of the funds.

Financing for the program that provides funding for sporting associations to acquire equipment deemed critical to building capacity for sport and the performance of athletes, was made possible by way of a three-year partnership worth $45 million with Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL).

Seventeen member associations have so far benefitted, including the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) and the Jamaica Gymnastics Association (JAGA).  The Jamaica Golf Association, Jamaica Karate, Jamaica Bobsleigh, and Skeleton Federation also benefitted from the initiative as well as the Jamaica Cricket Association and the Jamaica Wrestling Federation.

In recent times, the ASAJ had been in desperate need of new lane lines for the national swimming pool at Independence Park Limited, as the ones that were in use had deteriorated so badly over the years, swimmers were at risk of injury whether during practice or competition.

However, the cost of replacing them – more than US$16,000 – proved prohibitive, which has been further impacted by the onset of the pandemic.

ASAJ President Martin Lyn explained that the JOA came to their aid after he outlined the challenges the association faced in acquiring new lane lines.

“The previous ones that we had, over time, deteriorated so that were sharp edges so swimmers could possibly get cut or bruised if they came in contact with the lane lines while swimming. So, the lane lines were very important for us and we simply could not afford to purchase them ourselves,” Lyn said.

“I approached the JOA. They not only helped but they paid for all of the lane lines. So the equipment grant was very helpful to the ASAJ. It is something that will be used for many years before we will need new lane lines.”

Lyn also explained that the new lane lines give the association some flexibility as it relates to their usage.

“Some of the lane lines that we now have can be used for both training and competition. They can also be used as a cordon for water polo. It was a very big help. We really appreciate the JOA partnering with us to ensure that our young athletes benefit.”

The gymnastics association has also lauded the JOA for their help via the grant in acquiring some important pieces of equipment that would help the athletes upgrade their skills.

“The JOA has been so supportive and serious about developing sports in Jamaica. They have assisted us with the purchase of three air vents for the gymnasium valued over $300,000 and also much-needed landed foam blocks to complete our landing pit to the tune of $1.5m,” said the association’s president Nicole Grant.

“We desperately needed the landing mats to help upgrade the gymnasts’ skills to prepare them for the Central American Championships and the Pan American Hopes Tournament later this year. We have already seen improvement in our gymnasts as they continue to train towards these events.” 

Grant said the initiative is yet another feather in the cap of the JOA that has been supportive of her fledgling association.

“We are truly thankful and grateful to the JOA because they have demonstrated time and again that their job is way beyond just sending teams to Games and the Olympics but helping with the development from the grassroots levels and educating our gymnasts and administrators through their various programs and scholarships that we have been on the receiving end of,” Grant said.

“Through the JOA, Olympian Toni-Ann Williams is currently in Europe pursuing a Masters in Sports Administration and I have recently completed the Diploma in Advance Sports Management conducted by the JOA. It’s definitely a blessing to be affiliated to such an institution that demonstrates time and again that assisting with the holistic development of a sport is necessary to achieve its ultimate goals.”

Jamaica's treble Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah has been named the AIPS Best Female Athlete of 2021.

This follows a poll by the International Sports Press Association, where a panel of 529 journalists from 114 countries voted for the champions of 2021. Joining Thompson-Herah in receiving the top honour is Polish footballer Robert Lewandowski, who has been named the AIPS Best Male Athlete of 2021.

The former Manchester High School student, who was named the World Female Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2021 earlier this month, retained her Olympic 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo and added a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay. She also ran world-leading times of 10.54 and 21.53 over 100m and 200m respectively, moving to second on the world all-time lists for each discipline.

She topped the AIPS poll with 605 points, ahead of Spanish footballer Alexia Putellas (490 points) and Venezuela's world triple jump record-holder and Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas (346 points).

Other athletics stars joining Thompson-Herah and Rojas in the top 10 are Kenya's Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who claimed 5000m and 10,000m titles in Tokyo as well as 1500m bronze.

Joining Lewandowski in the top 10 for the men's award are Norway's Karsten Warholm, who was named the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year, plus his fellow world record-holders and Olympic champions Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.

Thompson-Herah has also been named Athletics Weekly’s Female Athlete of the Year, NACAC Female Athlete of the Year and Diamond League Athletics’ Most Consistent Athlete in women’s sprints for 2021.

Steve Kerr has been confirmed as the new coach of the United States men's basketball team for 2022-24.

USA Basketball announced the appointment on Monday, with Kerr replacing San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich at the helm. Kerr had been Popovich's assistant on the national team since 2017.

Popovich – a five-time NBA champion with the Spurs – led the US to glory at this year's Tokyo Games, their fourth consecutive Olympic gold.

The team will have a similarly impressive staff moving forward, with Kerr in charge having won the NBA title five times as a player and on three occasions as coach of the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors stood 24-6 for this year ahead of a Monday night game with the Sacramento Kings, as they make another run at the championship. They have improved Kerr's career win percentage to 69.3 – the third-best mark in NBA history. Among coaches with three wins or more, Popovich (66.3 per cent) ranks eighth.

Kerr will be supported by Gonzaga coach Mark Few, the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra and the Phoenix Suns' Monty Williams.

"I'm incredibly honoured and humbled to represent our country as the head coach for the USA Basketball men's national team," Kerr said in a statement. "It's a thrilling opportunity and I'm excited for the challenge."

Assuming the US qualify, Kerr will be in charge for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

For the past seven years, Yona Knight-Wisdom was the sole face of Jamaican diving, representing the country at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games and the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

That could be about to change as another talented young diver has emerged, eager to represent the land of wood and water.

Those watching would have got the first glimpse of Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson diving synchro with Knight-Wisdom at the Scottish National and Open Diving Championships from December 2-5 at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh.

The newly forged pair finished second in the 3m synchro with a decent score of 375.60 and already the senior partner has begun to have a positive influence on the newcomer.

“Diving with Yona was an unparalleled learning experience,” Yohan tells Sportsmax. TV.

“Yona's experience with diving is immense, and exposure to an Olympic athlete's lifestyle and training was a chance for me to learn what it takes to perform at such a high level. Yona is an exemplary mentor and leader.”

Yohan was born in Calgary, Canada, in 2000 to Canadian Melissa Escrick and Jamaican Desmond Parkinson and began diving when he was just eight years old.

Growing up in Calgary, he attended high school at the National Sport School (NSS) while he trained for diving. Deciding that he wanted to explore possibilities for diving at the NCAA level, Yohan got accepted to Northwestern University where he is in his fourth year studying Neuroscience with plans to attend medical school.

Diving for Northwestern, Yohan was a two-time finalist (1m, 3m) at the 2020 Big 10 Conference Championships. He was also a finalist in the 1m   springboard at the conference championships in March.

It was while in high school that Yona first came to Yohan’s attention and he has followed his career ever since.

“I had been urged on by several coaches to look into the possibility of diving for Jamaica and began pursuing this in my second year of college,” he said. “Yona really paved the way for me and inspired me to dive for Jamaica.”

In early 2019, he decided to reach out to Knight-Wisdom to find out how he began diving for Jamaica and they developed a relationship.

“He got in touch with me on Instagram just sending me a few videos of him diving,” Knight-Wisdom explained.

“We spoke a little without making any plans, then after Tokyo was out of the way I decided to see if we could make something happen.”

That they did at the Scottish Championships earlier this month after training together for about a week.

“Training synchro with Yona was a success. Of course, it can be challenging to truly know how well we would sync up just by watching each other’s diving, so travelling to Scotland to train together was an important step in the process of seeing if synchro might be a possibility,” Yohan said.

“Thankfully, the synchro went well from the start, and we only had to make some minor adjustments to achieve rudimentary synchronization. This is a small but very important step towards taking our synchro team internationally. I believe we have a lot of potential moving forward.”

Already a Jamaican citizen, Yohan is awaiting his Jamaican passport with the intention of representing Jamaica at future events in the coming years starting in 2022.

“As diving is still a new sport for Jamaica, my goal is to compete and see how far I can go both individually and in synchro. It is an amazing opportunity to be among the first divers to have represented Jamaica in diving. I hope my performance inspires more Jamaicans to pursue diving in the future,” he said.

In the meantime, Yohan is focused on the next phase of his studies, already recognizing the significant challenge of studying medicine while training and competing as a diver. Nonetheless, he hopes to overcome the challenges with the hope of representing the country of his father’s birth at the very highest level.

“Currently, I am at a transition stage both academically and athletically where I am finishing college in the spring and planning to move on to graduate school. I have applied to several medical schools and am also applying to several masters as a backup plan in case I have to take a couple of gap years before reapplying for medical school,” he explained.

“Although diving through medical school would be a big challenge due to the intensity of studying, I will continue training through the summer and see what opportunities arise to continue my pursuit of the sport.

“I will first take the necessary steps to perform at some international events in 2022 and evaluate if the Olympics is a possibility.  The opportunity to try to qualify for the Olympics for team Jamaica is very exciting for me, and I will continue to work hard over next year and see how I place on an international scale.”

The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and Jamaica’s Minister of Sport Olivia Grange have expressed regret at the passing of Jamaican Olympian Bryon LaBeach, who died in California on Sunday, December 12, at the age of 91.

Triple Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah on Sunday announced the birth of The FastElaine Foundation that will focus on helping vulnerable children from mainly under-served communities as well some students from Christiania High and Manchester High Schools, educational institutions she attended during her childhood.

British Virgin Islands athlete Chantal Malone has attributed her poor performance at the Tokyo Olympics, and general dip in form last season, to injuries she sustained in the lead-up to the Games.

The Pan Am Games champion in the Long Jump, began her season in phenomenal form with four straight 7 metres performances, but saw a dip in form as the season went on that culminated with her finishing a disappointing 12^th in the Olympic final with a 6.50 metres jump.

Malone, speaking on an episode of SportsMax.Tv’s On Point, said she was having injury trouble up to two weeks before the Games in Tokyo.

“A week prior to Chula Vista in April, I had to get a PRP injection in my hamstring because I found out I had a strain in my hamstring. Two weeks before the games, I strained my hamstring again. Prior to that my knee flared up,” said Malone.

The fact that she never really took a break from training after the pandemic also took a toll on her physically.

“You’re training at this high intensity and your body is like; Ok you’ve got to oil me. You want a Ferrari to run like a Ferrari you’ve got to treat it like a Ferrari. That was just what my body was saying to me after training at such a high intensity for so long because, at that point, it had been 2 years since I’d been training at that intensity,” said Malone.

The 2014 CAC Games champion says she was also affected mentally by her ailments.

“Mentally, that’s what took me out a little bit because I didn’t know if I could trust my body. I wanted to jump, and I knew the kind of shape I was in, but subconsciously you’re being a little hesitant with putting the foot down a certain way or just executing the way you need to. As I reflect on the Games that was one of the blocks that I had,” she said.

The full interview can be seen on the Sportsmax TV YouTube channel.

Eight-time Olympic medallist and founder of the Pocket Rocket Foundation, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, has partnered with Visa to create specially branded shirts that will be available to donors who use their Visa cards to contribute US$100 to her foundation.

The shirts will feature Fraser-Pryce’s signature as well as the Olympic rings on the sleeve. Donors will also receive a mask signed by Fraser-Pryce and a Pocket Rocket pin.

Fraser-Pryce, who lowered her 100m personal best to 10.60 this season, says all proceeds will go towards the Pocket Rocket Foundation.

The nine-time World Championships gold medallist reminded potential Visa donors that their contributions are for a good cause.

“I know you guys are eager to grab the shirts but please be reminded that this will go towards the Pocket Rocket Foundation and your support means the world to us and all our student-athletes, the ones who are still here and the ones who are coming for the future,” she said.

This branded shirts venture is the latest in a number of initiatives Fraser-Pryce has undertaken to raise funds for the foundation. Last month, she was the guest of honour at an auction held at the Miramar Cultural Centre in Florida. 

Former Kingston College standout, Akeem Bloomfield, says he is 100 percent healthy going into the new track and field season.

The 2019 World Championships 400 metres finalist, speaking on Sportsmax TV’s On Point, says that after sustaining an injury in April, he is ready to go.

“It was a really bad injury to my right hamstring. I did an intensive rehab process after I got injured. Even though I shut down my season I was still doing rehab. So, I can say for the most part, right now I’m 100 percent healthy,” he said.

Bloomfield, who holds the Class 1 400m record at the ISSA Boys and Girls' Championships in Jamaica at 44.98, which made him the first Jamaican schoolboy at break 45 second at the championships,  will also be going into this season with a new camp after leaving MVP international and joining the Tumbleweed Track Club based in Florida.

Other members of that club include Olympic 200 metres champion, Andre DeGrasse, and former Calabar rival and Olympic 400 metres finalist, Christopher Taylor.

Bloomfield expanded on training alongside Taylor at the club.

“I can say it’s a very good experience, so far. I mean, we had that high school rivalry so now to put that aside and focus now as professional athletes and train in the same group, I’d say it’s good so far. He’s a very good training partner and I can see us building a very good relationship as the season progresses,” he said.

In a trip down memory lane for many fans of the Jamaican High School Track and Field Championships, or “Champs” as it is affectionately called, Bloomfield was asked about his famous showdown with Taylor on the anchor leg in the Boys open 4x400 metres relay in 2016.

When asked if he would have done anything differently looking back, Bloomfield said he wouldn’t change anything.

“I wouldn’t have used a different strategy because I don’t think people really paid attention to how close our personal bests were. At the time his personal best was 45.2 and mine was 44.9. That’s a very close margin so for me to get the baton 15 metres behind, I can’t be the one to go catch him and then sit behind him. I had to try to zoom ahead and try to hold form and unfortunately it did not work out,” he said.

The full interview can be seen on the Sportsmax TV YouTube channel.

Jamaica's 2020 Olympic heavyweight boxer Ricardo 'Big 12' Brown has turned professional after recently finalizing a contract with United Boxing Promotions in Canada where he now resides.

Tyler Buxton of United Boxing Promotions, in announcing the signing, believes Brown possesses significant potential.

“Everyone loves heavyweights and at 6’7”, Ricardo is a massive heavyweight,” he said. “They call him ‘Big 12’ for a reason. He has knockout power in both hands. I’m excited to launch Ricardo’s professional career and build a platform for professional boxing in Jamaica with Big12 leading the way.”

When Brown qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics he became the first Jamaican to do so since 1996. The Pan Am Games bronze medalist said he is keen to begin his professional career.

“I’m very happy to be a part of the United Boxing Promotions. I’m humbled and I am looking forward to seeing what United Boxing Promotions have to offer me as I start my boxing career,” he said.

Brown said he hopes to inspire youngsters in both Jamaica and Canada, encouraging them, “Stay determined, disciplined, honest, and focused. You too can be in the Olympic ring one day or even have a professional boxing career.”

Born and raised in Spanish Town, St Catherine, Brown was introduced to boxing at an early age but now trains in Canada with Dewith Frazer.

Meanwhile, President of the Jamaica Boxing Board Stephen Bomber Jones fully endorsed Brown’s transition to the professional ranks.

"Having witnessed first-hand the trajectory of 'Big12' Brown's career from a novice to elite national representative and medalist, I am more than excited about the possibilities this his professional future entails,” the boxing board president said.

“I am not only certain that it will be a bright one but I truly believe he has all that it takes to be a future world heavyweight champion and we look forward to him fighting as a pro here on home soil."