The Honourable Ian Forbes has been appointed Chairman of the Institute of Sports (INSPORTS), as announced by the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange. Forbes will lead a newly constituted board of directors, comprised of individuals with a diverse range of expertise, tasked with guiding the development and expansion of sports in Jamaica over the next two years.

Forbes, widely regarded for his contributions to Jamaican sports, will be supported by a dedicated team of professionals, including Deputy Chairman Howard Chambers and experienced figures such as Ronald Anderson, Dr. Michelle Holt, and Alan Beckford. Their collective experience spans a broad spectrum of disciplines, from sports management to medical expertise, positioning INSPORTS for a strong push in grassroots and community sports development.

 Under Forbes’ leadership, the board will focus on advancing programs aimed at fostering athletic talent, with an emphasis on inclusivity across Jamaica. This vision is supported by key members such as Glen Nelson, Emile Spence, and Shirley McLean Brown, who bring their own unique strengths to the team. The board also benefits from the administrative expertise of Julian Patrick and the strategic insights of Florette Blackwood and Suzzette Ison, both of whom have a long-standing history of contributing to Jamaica’s sports landscape.

 INSPORTS remains a critical body in Jamaica’s sporting ecosystem, particularly in its role of supporting youth sports and less mainstream disciplines. Forbes and his team are expected to work closely with athletes, coaches, and local communities to create opportunities that will further solidify Jamaica’s presence on the global sporting stage.

 Minister Grange also used the occasion to announce additions to the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), with Florette Blackwood, Leslie Harrow, and Newton Amos being added to its board. The SDF, led by Chairman Leslie Campbell, continues to play a pivotal role in funding national sports programs and developing sporting infrastructure across Jamaica.

 With Forbes at the helm of INSPORTS and new members adding their strengths to the SDF, Jamaica’s sport sector is poised for continued growth. Grange concluded, “Both the Institute of Sports and the Sports Development Foundation are key to ensuring Jamaica remains a dominant force in global sports. With this leadership in place, we are confident that we are on the right path to achieving our goals.”

 JAAA Vice President Ian Forbes has expressed his disappointment after the Jamaica 4x400m relay team failed to achieve the qualifying mark for the Olympic Games in Paris. The setback came after the top three finishers in the 400m at the National Championships and the 400m hurdles champion pulled out at the last minute. The replacements ran a time of 2:59.87, once again falling short of the required time, much to the frustration of fans who had anticipated an easy qualification.

Deandre Watkins, Sean Bailey, and Jevaughn Powell, who ran impressive times of 44.48, 44.65, and 44.79 respectively in the 400m finals on Friday night, were expected to secure the qualification. Additionally, Malik James King, who clocked a lifetime best of 47.42 in the 400m hurdles, was also anticipated to contribute to the effort. However, their last-minute withdrawals left the team scrambling for replacements.

“We were most disappointed with respect to these late withdrawals,” Forbes told Sportsmax.TV. “It is my personal feeling that if one of the top three had come, we would have made the qualifying mark. It is very distressing when we thought we had persons ready and rearing to run for their country. These late withdrawals hit us hard. It must be remembered that the top 16 were advanced to the semi-final to facilitate this based on the suggestion of one of the athletes, and we took it on board. So, it’s most disappointing.”

Forbes highlighted the extensive preparations made to ensure the athletes were in optimal condition for the relay. Meetings with the athletes, coaches, and agents prior to the start of the National Championships led to the top 16 runners being advanced to the semi-finals, with heats and semi-finals run on Thursday and the finals on Friday night. This schedule was designed to give the runners ample time to recuperate before the 4x400m relay, which was scheduled for 8:05 pm on Sunday. The athletes were provided with hotel rooms for adequate rest and transportation. Additionally, two companies had put up JMD$1 million as an incentive for the runners should they achieve the qualification time.

“And I am not saying if one had an issue, particularly a potential injury or a niggle, they should have competed. But I find it a little off-putting that at least three of our top athletes did not participate, and the withdrawals, some of them were so very late, minutes before the start. I find it most distressing,” Forbes added. “We did it in good faith. I think maybe we should have them sign a contract. We did it in good faith because they are our athletes, and we figured there would be some amount of commitment to the cause in terms of advancing the country to the top 16. It is not good.”

Forbes noted that no explanations had been provided by the athletes for their late withdrawals. “We need to have a pow-wow to look at what really transpired because the information from the coaches was very fast, things moved very quickly, so we haven’t gathered all the information. But it was most distressing that at the last minute, persons were pulling out.”

Despite the setback, Forbes commended the efforts of Reheem Hayles, Tarees Rhoden, Kimar Farquharson, and Zandrian Barnes, who stepped up to compete. “I must pause to commend the ones who stepped up and gave it their all. They really tried,” he said.

The team, Jamaica Gold, which should have included national champion Deandre Watkins, Sean Bailey, Jevaughn Powell, and 400m hurdles champion Malik-James King, fell short of the qualification mark, leaving fans and officials angered and disheartened.

With Hurricane Beryl barreling towards Jamaica and expected to make landfall later this week, the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) is proactively looking at ways to mitigate potential disruptions to the training programmes of Olympic athletes.

The athletes, who secured their spots on Jamaica's team for the 2024 Paris Olympics just this past weekend, face the looming threat of the hurricane's strong winds, which exceed 100 kph. These conditions could lead to blockages on roadways and significant damage to training sites, hampering the athletes' final preparations for the global competition, which kicks off in just over three weeks.

JAAA Vice President Ian Forbes spoke to Sportsmax.TV about the association's plans to address any significant disruptions caused by the hurricane. "One has to try forecast and plan ahead as best as possible," Forbes said. "A lot of that would possibly be done on a case-by-case basis, so in terms of contingencies, we have facilities. Once they are accessible, they will be allowed full access, the main one being the National Stadium for the locals and even some of the overseas athletes who might, for want of a better term, be trapped here because of the inclement weather. So certainly, full access would be granted."

Forbes also mentioned other potential sites that could be utilized to ensure the athletes' training is not compromised. "There are some other sites that could be called upon to facilitate, for example, GC Foster College, possibly UWI, Jamaica College, Calabar, and Kingston College, those places with synthetic surfaces."

The discussions within the JAAA are still in the preliminary stages, with a meeting scheduled soon to address all these issues comprehensively. "We are going to be meeting in a little while so all those issues will be addressed," Forbes added.

The association's contingency measures are geared towards providing the best possible support to the nation's athletes as they gear up for one of the most significant sporting events in the world.

In a last-ditch effort to qualify its 4x400m relay team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jamaica will stage a special race on the final day of the Jamaica National Championships in Kingston on Sunday, June 30. This follows three previous attempts, the latest of which took place on June 16 at the New Life Invitational in the Bahamas. There, the team of Reheem Hayles, JeVaughn

Powell, Kimar Farquharson, and Tarees Rhoden clocked 2:59.75, just shy of Zambia's 2:59.12 mark set in March.

JAAA Vice President Ian Forbes cited a lack of competition as a key factor in the previous failure but expressed optimism about the upcoming attempt. "We have been looking at the possibility of staging a race at our championships and I am happy to report that there will be a 4x400m race at the national championships to facilitate qualification," Forbes announced at a press conference on Monday.

JAAA Vice President Ian Forbes

Forbes elaborated on the necessary conditions for the race to be considered a legitimate qualifier. "For the record, at least two countries must be present in the race for it to be ratified as a bona fide race and will count towards qualification," he explained. “I am happy to report that Jamaica will be represented and we have a team from St Vincent and the Grenadines. Jamaica’s representation will not be only one team, we’ll have a number of teams and we are also working on another country and an international team as well.”

In anticipation of the relay, the championship schedule has been adjusted to give the 400m runners the best chance to achieve the qualifying time while ensuring their safety. "We have consulted with stakeholders, athletes, coaches, agents; and we would have had at least two meetings, heard recommendations and we can now confirm that race will be run the final day of the championships, the 30th of June at 8:05 pm at the national stadium," Forbes stated.

To prevent overburdening the athletes, the schedule has been crafted meticulously. "On Thursday, the 27th at 10 am, there will be a preliminary round for some of the athletes in the 400m. So the top-ranked 16 athletes will be advanced to the semi-finals," said Forbes. “The remaining athletes will compete in the preliminary round at 10 am on Thursday morning. From those preliminaries, the top eight will join the 16 and be placed in one of three semi-finals which will be run at 6:50 pm on Thursday.

“In the semi-finals, the top two from each heat and the next two fastest losers will be advanced to the final that will be run at 8:50 pm on Friday. On Saturday, the 400m runners will be free so they will have time for recovery.”

Forbes continued: “Initially, the final was set for Saturday. Their (athletes) health, safety and well-being must be at the forefront of everything so they will be resting on Saturday and I am happy to announce that the JAAA will be assisting in their recovery in respect to equipment, technology to help them recover and be fresh for the race on Sunday.”

The effort has garnered financial support, with two companies pledging a combined total of one million Jamaican dollars towards the participants in the race. "It will be a tiered approach and once the qualification time is attained the full million will be allocated to the participants in that race. Those two companies are Fleetwood Jamaica Limited and Tile City," Forbes announced.

Forbes expressed confidence in the athletes' ability to qualify. "We are confident that our athletes will be successful. They have given their commitment to participate, we have worked together and some of the critical recommendations were put forward by the athletes," he said.

As the final day of the championships approaches, the Jamaican team and its supporters remain hopeful that this last attempt will secure their place in the 4x400m relay at the Paris Olympics, continuing the nation's rich tradition in the event.