Ja trio to get reallocated medals at Paris Olympics

The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has announced that Jamaican athletes Beverly McDonald, Chelsea Hammond-Ross and Kaliese Spencer will be awarded their Olympic medals from past Games during a reallocation ceremony to be held during the upcoming Paris Olympic Games.

Ryan Foster, JOA secretary-general and chief executive officer (CEO), revealed the Jamaican trio will be awarded their medals at the Champions Park on August 9 in a ceremony organised with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“The JOA is pleased to announce that in partnership with the IOC, we will be hosting a special medal reallocation ceremony on August 9, 2024 in Paris at Champions Park, which is near the epicentre of all track and field activities and will be specially arranged by the IOC,” Foster said at the JOA’s Olympic Games media launch at the Terra Nova Hotel on Thursday night.

McDonald will be awarded the bronze medal in the women’s 200m from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games due to the disqualification of American Marion Jones while Hammond-Ross will be awarded the bronze medal from the Beijing 2008 Games after Russia’s Tatyana Lebedeva was disqualified from the women’s long jump.

Spencer, who initially finished fourth in the women’s 400m hurdles at the London 2012 Olympic Games, will be awarded the bronze medal after the disqualification of Russian Natalya Antyukh.

Foster said the ceremony will be officiated by IOC and JOA representatives, and will also feature invited guests for each of the medallists. Following the reallocation ceremony, Foster said the athletes and their families will be further honoured by the JOA for their work as national representatives.

“The venue will be arranged so that all medallists, their guests, national Olympic committees, and other specially invited officials will converge at the Champions Park. The medals will be presented to the athletes by the IOC representatives along with JOA representation.

“In addition, the JOA will fete the athletes and their family members after the medal ceremony to highlight our appreciation for their sacrifices that have been made by them in pursuit of greatness and representation of their country,” the JOA secretary-general said.