State Minister for Sport Commends UTech

Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, has applauded the University of Technology (UTech) for conceptualising and hosting its inaugural President’s Knights Day.

President’s Knights Day will be an annual event that celebrates and recognises the contributions students have made to the institution, especially in the area of sports.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the University’s first Knights Day, held at its Papine campus in St. Andrew on Thursday (April 5), Mr. Terrelonge said a University hosting a day to celebrate the contributions its students have made during the academic year, especially in the area of sports, is very important, as it shows their appreciation for their students.

“My heartiest congratulations on this major move by the University of Technology for inaugurating the President’s Knights Day to celebrate students of the institution,” Mr. Terrelonge said.

“The act of an institution of learning in celebrating its students is most worthy and laudable. The fact that the University is celebrating its students shows that it appreciates the focus of the youth and the role that they will play in national development,” he added.

Mr. Terrelonge said since its inception 60 years ago, UTech has nurtured numerous athletes who have represented Jamaica in international sporting events, and it is important to recognise and celebrate with the upcoming athletes who currently attend the institution.

“UTech’s concentration on sport has taken what was in the earlier days a very small base of runners, or persons interested in the academic discipline of sports, to now legends on the world’s sporting stage, such as Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Asafa Powell and Bridgette Foster-Hylton, just to name a few. They have all been connected with the University of Technology,” he noted.

The State Minister said that the MVP Track Club, based at the university, “boasts many great athletes on the world stage and, again, this is one of UTech’s finest accomplishments in terms of sporting development”.

Mr. Terrelonge said the ‘Knight’, which is the official mascot of UTech, not only depicts the characters of knights but “depicts an academic community prepared to defend all that is good and true for its own community and for the nation as a whole, parading the virtues of integrity, respect, excellence, service, accountability and, most importantly, team spirit”.

He encouraged the students to continue aspiring for greatness in all areas of their pursuits at UTech. “I exhort you students to continue to excel, to play your part in furthering Jamaica’s development in sports, art, science [and] cultural technology,” he said.