Jamaica’s tourist capital, Montego Bay, is set to host the meeting and retreat of the executive board of the Americas Paralympic Committee (AmPC), the governing body for 34 national Paralympic committees across North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.

Scheduled for December, the occasion is historic — it will be the first time the regional apex organisation, or any ruling body in the global Paralympic movement, convenes in Jamaica.

The decision was endorsed by International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons following a visit to the island in March last year, during which he described Jamaica as the hub for Paralympic sports development in the Caribbean. AmPC Vice-President Christopher Samuda welcomed the move as a vote of confidence in the country.

“It places on the country an obligation to ensure that the declarations coming out of these meetings will not only create capital for the local movement but, more importantly, give greater currency and value to the region’s principal assets — our athletes — and the business of sport for our 34 members,” he said.

Among the key agenda items is the staging of the inaugural senior Para Central American and Caribbean Games. Looking beyond the competition itself, Samuda stressed the broader vision: building friendship, unity and a common humanity among athletes across the subregion.

AmPC also owns the Para Pan American Games, set for Lima, Peru next August, the Para South American Games, and the Youth Para Pan American Games. The committee continues to strengthen its position through partnerships with UBER International, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, PUMA International, UNESCO, and the BDH Paras Foundation, among others.

SOURCE: The Jamaica Observer