JOA pledges support for Curling Jamaica
JAMAICA OLYMPIC Association (JOA) pledged its support for the Jamaica Curling Federation (Curling Jamaica) during a press briefing yesterday at the Jamaica Olympic Manor.
JOA President Christopher Samuda said the JOA will provide financial and administrative support for Curling Jamaica as they seek to aid the development of the federation’s infrastructure and improve Jamaica’s global presence in the sport.
“The JOA is in the business of developing sports, and curling is no different,” Samuda said. “We will help them financially. We will help them from an administrative point of view in order to build out their infrastructure, their governance framework, their financial framework, and their marketing model.
“We’re looking at it holistically so we can ensure that their development is in line with the Olympic charter so that they can get the chance to stake their claim on the international stage and become a model organisation.”
Samuda is confident that with the JOA’s support, Curling Jamaica can become competitive at the Olympic level, and he is buoyed by the recent success seen from the federation.
Last year, Curling Jamaica made its competitive debut at the Pan Continental Curling Championships with historic success. The women’s team finished second in Division B, where they defeated Kenya, the Philippines, Brazil, and Hong Kong before falling in the finals to champions China.
The team also made its debut in the World Mixed Doubles Qualification event, where Jamaica finished fifth in their group where they recorded wins against Portugal (11-2) and Wales (12-5).
“We have looked at them over a period of time, and they have demonstrated credentials and pedigree in order to transition to the Olympic stage. What we really like about Curling Jamaica is that they’ve already built out their infrastructure, the vision is absolutely clear, and they are pursuing their mission with an aggression that we think can transition to the Olympic stage,” Samuda said.
According to Samuda, the JOA and Curling Jamaica are working on avenues to identify athletes based locally and provide them with the opportunity to represent the country.
Jamaica currently does not have a facility to train curling athletes but Samuda said that despite the limitations, local-based athletes will be given the opportunities to travel overseas, where they can train and compete in curling competitions.
“We have built out a methodology where the coaching expertise will come here. They will come and look at the talent we have, and we will create a pathway to transition them overseas where the facilities are, where the competitions are so they can have equal opportunity as those in the diaspora to excel and represent the country,” the JOA boss said.
Samuda said that this support for Curling Jamaica is part of the JOA’s mission to develop sporting disciplines for the Winter Olympic Games.