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Supreme Ventures pledges $25m to Jamaica’s track and field

Published:Thursday | June 27, 2024 | 12:11 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
Kamal Powell (left), head of marketing, Supreme Ventures Limited, and JAAA President Garth Gayle shake on an agreement for the former to support the latter to the tune of $25 million over the next five years, at a press conference announcing Supreme Ventur
Gladstone Taylor / Multimedia Photo Editor
Kamal Powell (left), head of marketing, Supreme Ventures Limited, and JAAA President Garth Gayle shake on an agreement for the former to support the latter to the tune of $25 million over the next five years, at a press conference announcing Supreme Ventures Limited’s sponsorship of the JAAA, held at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association Office in St Andrew on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

IN A bid to further enhance Jamaica’s track and field programme, Supreme Ventures Limited yesterday pledged $25 million over five years to governing body Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA).

Kamal Powell, head of marketing at Supreme Ventures, said while track and field continues to be a pillar in Jamaica’s sporting heritage, it was important for Supreme Ventures to continue to show their support to the administrative body and the athletes.

“Track and field is the bedrock of sports and sporting development in Jamaica, and that’s why we are part of this. We want to continue on that, as the athletes have contributed so much to the moral value of Jamaica for many years, and they continue to give endlessly and fly the Jamaican flag across the world,” he said.

Powell added that the decision to put pen to paper was easy to make, given the impact Jamaican athletes have on the world stage.

He added that part of Supreme Ventures’ thinking was to show junior athletes that the body is also in full support of the grassroots programme.

“What better way to do this than putting the financial muscle behind them so that they (athletes) can make it to the Olympics?

“It was a very easy decision. When you look at the work the athletes put in, we definitely wanted to put our money to support the development of sport in Jamaica. We also wanted to ensure that the junior athletes who are coming up will also know that Supreme Ventures has their back and we are here to support them for a long period,” said Powell.

Garth Gayle, president of the JAAA, explained that Supreme Ventures’ injection was welcomed.

“It will go a long way in assisting us to pay our bills. We are very appreciative of it. It is also a testimony of a company that believes in Jamaica and is giving back through the sport of track and field,” he stated.

Gayle said the already solid relationship between Supreme Ventures and the JAAA meant discussions and coming to agreements were also easy.

“We’ve always had an excellent working relationship and, when they reached out to us, it wasn’t difficult for us to sit and work out all the challenges, which we’ve already done,” said Gayle.

Later today, Jamaica’s junior and senior athletes will begin trials for the upcoming Paris Olympics and World Under-20 Championships.

According to Gayle, the preparation phase has ended and it’s now down to the athletes to get the show running.

“We believe that we’ve put enough things in place from a technical standpoint to ensure the conduct of the event is of World Athletics standards and that our athletes now are only left with going out and doing what they’ve prepared for all these months.”

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com