Minister Grange willing to declare Dominoes a National Sport

The Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Honourable Olivia Grange, MP has told representatives of the National Association of Domino Bodies (NADB) that she is prepared to clear the way for dominoes to be accorded official status of a national sport in Jamaica.
The NADB delegation, led by President Rey Smith, visited Minister Grange at her offices for the main purpose of bringing her up to date on plans for hosting the 10th World Dominoes Championship in Jamaica in 2012 and to seek the support of the Ministry.
Mr. Smith told Minister Grange that dominoes’ governing body, the International Domino Federation (FID), had applied to the International Olympic Committee for dominoes to be an Olympic sport and was told that the IOC would be amenable to the idea if the countries which are members of FID declared dominoes a national sport.
Minister Grange said, “I am willing and ready to decree dominoes a national sport. It promotes team spirit and camaraderie as well as it forces you to think and to strategise.”
Minister Grange was told that Venezuela, Russia and Spain had already recognised dominoes as a national sport and that Puerto Rico was in the process of doing so.
On the matter of the staging of the international tournament in Jamaica, Mr. Smith said that it would be held in May 2012 and that there would be representatives from 35 countries.
He said Jamaica would become the second English-speaking country to host the World Dominoes Championship, the first being the United States. At the 2009 Championship in Russia, the Jamaican team led up to penultimate day of competition when they lost to Spain.
Mr. Smith said the President of FID, Mr. Lucas Guittard, had expressed the desire that Minister Grange joins him at the launch of the 10th World Dominoes Championship when he visits Jamaica later this year.
Minister Grange said that she was pleased with the various domino programmes and competitions being conducted islandwide and the collaborations with public sector bodies such as the Ministry of Health and the Social Development Commission, an agency of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.
“The theme, ‘Choosing Your Partner Before You Play’, used in your HIV/AIDS project with the Ministry of Health was well chosen because it applies not just to dominoes but to life. I am pleased that dominoes is being used to assist national development.
“You can be assured of the support of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture in your domino programmes and a successful hosting of the international tournament here in Jamaica in 2012.”