Games managers to apply for positions – JOA

MANAGEMENT personnel for Jamaica teams attending international sporting competition up to 2025 will now be required to apply for those positions at events that fall under the jurisdiction of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA).

Sports’ local governing body for Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines were informed of that undertaking via a press released yesterday.

“The delivery of Games is a professional and business undertaking, and an experience that should be afforded to those who want and have the commitment and expertise to contribute to a legacy that is not owned by the few,” said JOA President Christopher Samuda, reaffirming a policy his administration first made in 2017 to create a wealth of opportunities for persons to serve in national capacities.

The call, which the JOA says is captured in its mantra of ‘business unusual’, targets individuals ready to serve in capacities such as chef de mission and managers. Advertising, the JOA said, is set to begin soon for these managerial positions, which is also a deliverable on its Games Policy.

Ryan Foster, JOA Secretary General/CEO and chairman of the Games Commission, said they are committed to exposing talent in serving the nation.

“We at the JOA are dedicated to creating opportunities, exposing talent in serving the nation, and maintaining for our athletes a professional environment, which encourages excellence in character and performance,” Foster noted.

iNTERACTIVE APPRAISAL

Applicants will provide professional profiles and references, plus completing an online self-evaluation form that will form part of what will be a very interactive appraisal. Short-listed applicants will then be requested to make a presentation to, and be interviewed by, a selection panel.

“I am encouraging sporting bodies to adopt this culture of governance, which the Paralympic Association pioneered in 2015, in opening the doors wide to the sporting fraternity and admit those who will leave their mark on the international stage,” Foster added.

He also reminded stakeholders that “forward planning is an essential activity of any successful business, and sport is a business of strategic and logistic deliverables and outcomes, and the work doesn’t begin yesterday for today’s event, but, as is our experience, years before.”

The JOA noted that availing sport games management of the requisite competences in developing the infrastructure is part of the reservoir of opportunities it continues to provide stakeholders.

“We continue to focus on and invest in coaches across disciplines in building technical expertise and capacity, and our active call this year for subscribers to the Pan Am High Performance Coaches course saw over 70 registrants, for we understand that a critical part of the business of games management is the skill sets and application of professional personnel,” stated Foster.

Samuda noted that Jamaica’s governing sport institution has set a precedent, which is worthy of emulation by local stakeholders, as well as regional and international interests.

“The wheel of fortune in sport will inevitably spin, and you can determine its mark if you programme it early and wisely,” said Samuda.