Journey to Paris

Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) Ryan Foster has announced that the JOA will sponsor five selected Jamaican athletes in their preparations ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Speaking at the JOA Olympic Games media launch last night at the Terra Nova Hotel, Foster revealed that the JOA will allocate a sum of $6 million to selected athletes.

The five selected athletes include triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts, 400 metres hurdler Malik James-King, high jumper Christoff Bryan, discus thrower Samantha Hall and hammer throw national record holder Nayoka Clunis.

“Paris 2024 will be a spectacle,” he said. “Japan 2020 was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but now we have the opportunity to provide avenues for new legends to be born.

“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.”

According to Foster, these sponsorships are aimed towards supporting athletes in their Olympic aspirations and reduce the cost of travel, accommodation and training for the selected athletes.

He explained the scholarship is just one of several initiatives by the JOA to ensure Jamaican athletes and coaches alike are financially supported in their various Olympic and sporting aspirations.

“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.

“This is in addition to the eight athletes who have benefited 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 in excess of $6 million to aid in their Olympic quest as well as the implementation of out JOA coaching scholarships worth $6 million as well,” the JOA’s secretary-general said.

Foster said these financial initiatives also serve the purpose of creating a viable sporting legacy for both the national association and the athletes who benefit from the various scholarships.

“The JOA scholarship programme serves as one of our legacy objectives,” he said. “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 in which will have a far-reaching impact on the lives of our athletes.”