Minister Grange Praises Jamaica’s Wheel Chair Basketballers for Historic Performance at Centro American and Caribbean Tourney

The Honourable Olivia “Babsy” Grange, Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, has heartily congratulated Jamaica’s first ever Paralympics team to the Centro American and Caribbean Wheelchair Basketball Tournament for qualifying for next year’s Tournament of the Americas in Canada, a step away from the 2012 Olympics.
At the tournament, held in El Salvador, the Jamaican team, which was drawn with Mexico, Nicaragua and Guatemala in preliminary round, took second position, losing to Mexico. In the semi-finals, Jamaica defeated Puerto Rico to clinch a place in the finals against Mexico.
The local team again lost to a more experienced Mexico but ended up silver medalists, which not only qualifies the team for participation in the 2009 Tournament of the Americas in Canada but puts them in line for qualification to the 2012 Olympic Games in England.
Minister Grange praised the members Paralympics Basketball team for “your historical performance which has done Jamaica proud once again in the sporting arena.”