The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) signalled its intent to fund the aspirations of several selected Jamaican athletes during the Paris Olympic Games launch at Terra Nova Hotel yesterday.
Amid the attention of athletes, sports administrators, corporate entities and international guests at the event, Ryan Foster, secretary general and chief executive officer of the JOA announced the association’s decision to sponsor five athletes with a total sum of $6 million, aimed towards covering the cost of their qualification for the Paris Olympic Games.
Foster explained that the funding will cover the cost of travel, accommodation, competitions and training for these individual athletes, as they continue their quest to compete at the July 26 to August 11 Olympic Games.
The athletes are women’s hammer throw national record holder Nayoka Clunis, triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts, 400 metres hurdler Malik James-King, high jumper Christoff Bryan and discus thrower Samantha Hall.
“These athletes would have expressed to the JOA their need for assistance in their Olympic journey and the JOA saw it fit to ensure we can continue to be a part of our athletes’ journey to the Games.
“The JOA in its continuous pursuit to provide opportunities for our athletes to self-actualise on the Olympic stage is pleased to announce that we will be providing sponsorship of $6 million to five athletes to assist in their Olympic qualification,” Foster said.
This assistance will not be the first, as Foster explained that the JOA has been funding their Olympic aspirations since 2021.
According to Foster, these initiatives align with the JOA’s aim of feeling the dreams of the nation’s future athletes and providing the avenue for experienced athletes to showcase their talent on the global stage.
“This is in addition to the eight athletes who would have benefitted from the Olympic Solidarity scholarships since 2021, in which they would have received over US$300,000 combined.
“In that same period, the JOA also provided scholarships for three other athletes by our JOA scholarship programmes over $6 million to aid in their Olympic quest as well as the implementation of JOA coaching scholarships worth $6 million,” he continued.
Foster said these financial initiatives are also aimed at providing life-changing opportunities for Jamaica athletes, who otherwise, would not have been able to grasp the opportunities.
“We want to leave a legacy for our members and advance our athletes. We believe in the future of our athletes, and we have focused on objectives that are not just event-specific, but one which will have a far-reaching impact on the lives of our athletes,” Foster said.
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