Jamaica’s Minister of Tradition, Gender, Leisure and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, is ready to interact key stakeholders with the goal of building a nationwide technique for athlete help and retention.
She made the disclosure throughout her 2025/26 Sectoral Debate presentation within the Home of Representatives on Tuesday (June 24).
The Minister was responding to latest choices by a number of Jamaican athletes to switch national allegiance, with some now set to symbolize nations resembling Türkiye at worldwide occasions, together with the 2028 Olympic Video games.
“We’ll have a look at how we are able to increase partnerships with the non-public sector to offer monetary incentives and sponsorship alternatives, and enhancing coaching and restoration infrastructure to satisfy worldwide requirements,” Ms. Grange mentioned.
Focus will even be positioned on providing profession transition providers for athletes past competitors, long-term profession planning, expanded monetary and well being protection in collaboration with the non-public sector, and enhanced nationwide illustration incentives – significantly for high-performance athletes.
The Authorities can be seeking to strengthen partnerships with sporting federations to help holistic athlete growth from grassroots to elite ranges.
Talking additional on the matter, Minister Grange famous that the worldwide sporting panorama has shifted, with nations resembling Qatar, Bahrain, and Türkiye attracting expertise from nations like Kenya and Ethiopia by providing monetary stability, improved sources, and long-term safety.
“Jamaica shouldn’t be immune to those world shifts. Apparently, there are high athletes whose sponsorship contracts dictate their stage of nationwide involvement as soon as they signal. Athletes, like professionals in any discipline, should weigh their alternatives, sources and long-term viability. This isn’t to say we’re snug shedding our expertise; fairly the other,” she said.
Ms. Grange mentioned these developments, “ought to function a clarion name to strengthen our nationwide athlete help methods, not simply on the elite stage however via grassroots and transition programmes, that they safe their careers earlier than, throughout and after competitors, and we’re on that path”.
The Minister famous that native firms have been stepping as much as help high athletes, highlighting triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts, who just lately turned Dolla Monetary Companies’ Model Ambassador.
“Shanieka Ricketts has indicated that regardless of requests from different nations, she is decided to stay a Jamaican athlete. She selected Jamaica. This has offered a chance for native firm Dolla Monetary Companies to supply her sponsorship, and I need to commend it for doing that,” Ms. Grange mentioned.
“There are a number of different firms which are sponsoring different athletes, and we thank these firms for working with our athletes, and we need to welcome extra firms, extra from the non-public sector, to return on board and help our athletes,” she added.
Ms. Grange identified that the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Affiliation (JAAA), which performs a pivotal position in nurturing and creating the nation’s athletes, shouldn’t be a company entity with the authorized or monetary mandate to offer end-of-career help.
“That mentioned, a lot of our achieved athletes have discovered houses within the non-public and public sectors, from legislation enforcement to teaching, from company ambassadorships to entrepreneurships. We should recognise these examples as nationwide successes whereas additionally looking for to systematise such transitions to profit a wider group of retired athletes,” she said.
Minister Grange additionally reiterated that the Authorities can’t intrude with the operations of nationwide sporting federations, as they’re ruled by their respective worldwide our bodies.
