Ringing endorsement for team captains Fraser-Pryce, Knight-Wisdom

Buoyed by their strong character and leadership qualities, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) President Christopher Samuda and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Foster have backed the appointments of multiple Olympic and World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and two-time Olympian Yona Knight-Wisdom as captains for Jamaica’s Paris Olympic Games team.

The announcement was made yesterday during a media briefing at the association’s headquarters yesterday with less than a week to go before the opening ceremony in Paris on July 26.

In making their decision on who would best embody the qualities necessary to lead an Olympic team, Samuda and Foster said that Fraser-Pryce’s and Knight-Wisdom’s appointments were not just about honouring the impact both have made as they prepare to compete in their final Games, but also being examples to those who would follow.

“Shelly is an international asset. And that criteria alone of course ensures that she should be the captain. It is her last Games and we took that as a criteria. But more importantly, we looked at the attributes, the human qualities that of course she embodies to make her a good leader,” Samuda told The Gleaner. “Being a captain you have to unite the team, you have to encourage the team. You have to ensure that team members understand what are the principles and what are the things that apply to sport.”

Fraser-Pryce, one of the most decorated sprinters in history, will be competing in her fifth Olympic Games in the 100m, looking to end her career with yet another Olympic title. With more than 20 World Championships and Olympic medals combined, Foster said that her track and field and Olympic legacy made her worthy of taking the mantle.

“Her contribution to the sport of track and field, to Jamaican Olympic history is self-explanatory. Just the respect that she would have garnered from her peers both male and female, she represents a true Olympian and a true team captain just by her stature.”

Foster praised Knight-Wisdom for displaying the ideals of the Olympic movement as well as his federation, being the flagbearer for diving in Jamaica as he ushered its return to the Olympic stage.

“This is Knight-Wisdom’s third Olympic Games. He is a seasoned Olympian. Just his deportment in terms of how he carries himself as a true Olympian in every sense of the word, represents what we want as a team captain. We think Yona given his final Olympic Games and how he has carried himself not just in the Olympic movement but also within his own federation World Aquatics, I think he is a good candidate as team captain,” Foster said.

“Yona has exhibited a character that is very solid as an Olympian. He is a sociable person and that is something that you need at the Olympic Games because there are going to be challenges. There are going to be pitfalls. And sometimes you have to reach out to your colleagues to ensure that they understand that this is not defeat,” Samuda said. “This is a challenge and you have to overcome the challenge and become what you will yourself to be.”

Knight-Wisdom’s Olympic debut in 2016 signified the first time since 1972 that a diver represented Jamaica at the Olympic Games.