Samuda not surprised by ice hockey team’s performance

PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) Christopher Samuda said he was not surprised following Jamaica’s ice hockey team’s impressive performances with just a third of a Challenge Series in the United States involving Puerto Rico and Lebanon still remaining.

Jamaica maintained their lead atop the tournament standings following two wins from four games in the New York leg of the series, moving to a total of five wins from eight games throughout the entire tournament.

The team also stands atop the goalscoring table with 52 goals, ahead of second-place Lebanon’s tally of 43.

Samuda was filled with praise for the ice hockey team, which he nicknamed ‘Soldiers on the Ice’.

“The performance of our ice hockey team was not really surprising at all to me,” he said.

“I have had the privilege of being with the team and seeing them play before. I refer to them as our ‘Soldiers on the Ice’, and they were absolutely impressive in topping the table. The commitment that I saw in making the country proud was really exemplary. So I am not surprised at all.”

He added, “I expect them again to do very well in the next round.”

According to Samuda, the success of the ice hockey team is proof that Jamaica is able to succeed in non-traditional sporting disciplines.

He said the growth of ice hockey is in line with the JOA’s mission of increasing the country’s visibility in various winter-sporting disciplines.

“From 2021, the Jamaica Olympic Association would have been saying that one of our primary objectives is to increase the number of winter sports in which Jamaica participates and we are on the road with ice hockey.”

Samuda explained that the long-term goal for the JOA is to ensure that Jamaica is not only a constant force at the Summer Olympic Games, but to become a main feature of the Winter Olympics as well.

He said the JOA has been advocating for the development of Jamaica’s winter athletics.

“We are a part of the advocacy to remove the precondition of having an ice rink so that Jamaica and other countries which do not have a rink will be eligible to participate in the Winter Olympic Games,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to a bright future for ice hockey, and once we are able to get rid of that precondition, all the teams will be competitive.”