Earlier than an viewers gathered to mark Worldwide Olympic Day on the Pegasus Lodge not too long ago, Jamaica Olympic Affiliation (JOA) President Christopher Samuda delivered a stirring keynote titled “Remodeling Lives By Sport.”
Anchored within the international theme “Let’s Transfer,” Samuda’s handle demanded speedy, measurable progress—“motion and never discuss”—in constructing sport’s financial engine and safeguarding the welfare of those that play it.
Yesterday’s diagnoses vs. tomorrow’s calls for
“We should be taught from the previous,” Samuda conceded, “however not be pre‑occupied with yesterday’s unchanging file. Tomorrow is barely a day away, and it compels motion—a change of location.” He warned that infinite symposia on acquainted issues quantity to “a chat‑fest superstructure” until matched by revolutionary implementation.
Echoing remarks he first made twenty years earlier, the JOA president declared:
“We have now to sweat and spill blood if change is to be a actuality. The blood of males in historical past germinated the seed of progress, and at present males tremble to spill it even figuratively.”
For Samuda, discomfort will not be elective however a prerequisite for real transformation.
Proof of movement: The Jamaica athletes’ insurance coverage plan
As an instance “motion,” Samuda retraced the painstaking journey that produced the Jamaica Athletes Insurance coverage Plan, launched in 2016: exhaustive analysis on overseas well being schemes, actuarial modeling, and marathon negotiations with suppliers. “*It was finished for insurance coverage. It may be finished for others, like pension—*that uncared for youngster of sport.” Tons of of nationwide athletes now take pleasure in medical and private accident protection; the identical resolve, he insisted, should underpin retirement safety and wealth creation.
Samuda envisioned a nationwide regulatory physique of business specialists able to dealing with “a multi‑billion‑greenback mutual fund of private and non-private funding.” Such an entity would function beneath strict governance, leverage tax incentives for “angel and archangel” traders, and channel dividends and capital good points again into amenities, applications, and athlete welfare. “It may be finished. Let’s transfer!”
From sponsorship to partnership
“The JOA doesn’t purchase prepared‑made; we construct, engineer, and ship capital,” Samuda affirmed, urging firms to change as soon as‑and‑finished sponsorships for shared‑threat, shared‑reward partnerships:
Align funding with clear business methods that match model ethos.
Elevate “poster athletes” to company ambassadorship.
Activate strong social media platforms for mutual traction.
Provide premium occasion accreditation to show supporters into stakeholders.
“Let’s transfer the company greenback from the boardroom to the sector of play,” he stated.
Guarding birthrights and forging futures
Samuda cautioned towards ceding Jamaica’s sporting “birthright” to “overseas landlords” issuing passports to Olympic glory. Homegrown infrastructure should guarantee athletes stay “bankable and pensionable” inside their very own borders.
Quoting reggae artist Anthony B, he warned:
“No person wannu plant the corn; all people wish to raid the barn.”
Marking Olympic Day’s international celebrations, Samuda saluted Kirsty Coventry, newly elected as the primary feminine President of the Worldwide Olympic Committee. Her rise, he stated, was propelled not by gender tokenism however by the “three C’s—character, competence, and credentials.” Her story underscores the upward trajectory doable when expertise meets unrelenting momentum.
The JOA’s mandate: Enterprise‑minded, athlete‑centric, nationwide in scope
Samuda closed with a summation of the affiliation’s ethos:
Tradition: emphatically enterprise.
Character: unmistakably member‑ and athlete‑centric.
Mission: unequivocally nationwide and worldwide.
Objective: to remodel lives and develop into an indispensable incomes asset for Jamaica.
