Athlete assistance programme to resume next year
Published:Wednesday | December 23, 2020 | 12:13 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Sports Minister Olivia Grange says that the Athlete Assistance Programme (AAP), which provided monetary support for Olympic-bound athletes, will be reactivated next year.
Grange was speaking at Monday’s handover ceremony of land hurdle equipment from the Tottori Athletics Association in Japan, to the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), which will be distributed to seven schools to help their track and field programmes.
The AAP, which was launched this March, provided financial assistance for athletes who had qualified or were on the verge of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in their respective sports. The Games, which were originally scheduled for this summer, were pushed back to July 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to the suspension of the programme.
SAME STANDARDS
Grange says that while a set amount has not yet been determined, athletes can expect that it will meet the same standards as last year.
“At a minimum, it will be the programme which we had in place before it was suspended. So, the athletes can be reassured that support is there,” Grange told The Gleaner.
The programme had to be stopped in March because of the pandemic and the subsequent postponement of the Games. However, payment for that month was made to the 145 athletes that were eligible for the programme to the total sum of $12 million. The initiative provided a monthly stipend of $20,000 per week to cover training costs and other essential needs for their preparations.
Grange says that an exact resumption date for the programme has not yet been set and will be coordinated with the athletes’ return to training for the 2021 season.
“How soon it will start? It all depends on how soon we will have an idea that we will go back to normal, with training resuming and so on,” Grange said.
JAAA’s first vice-president, Ian Forbes, says that the reinstatement of the programme will greatly assist athletes who have been financially affected by COVID-19 and its effects on the 2020 athletics season.
“They (athletes) would have been impacted significantly in a negative way in 2020. So, they’ll need all the support that they can get, to get back on their feet and prepare themselves for the upcoming season,” Forbes said.
Additionally, Grange announced a mental health programme for athletes, which will also start next year. The programme will provide consultation sessions for athletes through the Jamaica Athletes Insurance Programme. The initiative will allow athletes to have a maximum of 24 consultation sessions in 2021.