Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) Names 63 Athletes for Olympics
By: July 12, 2016 ,The Key Point:
The Facts
- Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Hon. Olivia Grange, who brought greetings at the press conference, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston, said Jamaica will once again shine on the international stage.
- Meanwhile, President of the JOA, the Hon. Michael Fennell, said every effort is being made to ensure that the athletes are fully prepared for the games.
The Full Story
The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), on July 11 announced the 63 team members who will represent Jamaica at the upcoming 31st Olympiad, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Heading the list are returning gold medallists Usain Bolt, who will run the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4×100 metres men’s relay; and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who will take part in the 100 metres and the 4×100 metres relay for women.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Hon. Olivia Grange, who brought greetings at the press conference, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston, said Jamaica will once again shine on the international stage.
“Once more we can field a strong team to an Olympic event. Jamaica’s name is etched in the history of the Olympic movement. We have over the years worked to support our athletes, whether junior or senior teams, despite our limited financial resources as a country. We always try to bolster and support our athletes in good times and bad and we will continue to do so,” she said.
The games, which are scheduled to take place from August 5 to 21, will see the athletes competing in several events, including track and field, swimming, diving, and for the first time in the country’s history, gymnastics. Of the 63 athletes, 44 are first-time Olympians.
Chef de Mission, Vishwanauth Tolan, said that this year a record 59 entries for the track and field events are entered, with 32 females and 27 males.
Meanwhile, President of the JOA, the Hon. Michael Fennell, said every effort is being made to ensure that the athletes are fully prepared for the games.
He noted that the organisation has been working closely with the Jamaica Anti- Doping Commission (JADCO) to put together a robust testing arrangement, in compliance with international anti-doping standards prior to, and during the games in Brazil.
“We have been reviewing the registered testing pool for athletes and we are satisfied that Jamaica has been carrying out its responsibilities for testing and monitoring anti-doping procedures. We will be going further, not just monitoring but also briefing athletes and officials going to the games, to ensure that the athletes and the delegation are fully up to speed as far as that is concerned,” Mr. Fennell said.
For her part, Deputy Head of Mission, Brazilian Embassy in Jamaica, Diana Jorge Valle, said her country is ready to receive the athletes and to host the first Olympic and Paralympic Games to take place in South America.
“Brazil will be hosting representatives from around 200 countries and 5,000 tourists. The Olympic Village housing more than 70 athletes has just been inaugurated. Our Sports facilities are up and ready for you. The country has put together a solid programme of 85,000 government personnel to ensure the sporting events take place in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity for the athletes, coaching staff, Heads of State, government officials, journalists and tourists,” she said.