The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) is set to make history by giving the Jamaican diaspora a permanent, formalised voice in the nation’s Olympic administration.

JOA President Christopher Samuda announced the initiative while addressing the ninth anniversary and installation ceremony of the Kiwanis Club of Friends Across Borders, revealing that the organisation will propose a constitutional amendment at its upcoming general congress. The amendment would allocate a fixed number of non-voting directorial seats to diaspora leaders based in cities that have previously hosted the Olympic Games. Representatives would be required to hold Jamaican citizenship and adhere to established Olympic protocols.

Samuda cited the diaspora’s growing contribution to Jamaican sport — both through the increasing number of athletes representing the island internationally and through significant financial and commercial support — as the driving force behind the move.

“A Jamaican passport, citizenship, will be required and other protocols of the Olympic movement; but stay tuned, history is in the making,” he said.

The announcement came alongside news of further developments on the home front. The JOA is finalising a major commercial sporting complex at its Cunningham Avenue headquarters — envisioned to house a retail sports outlet, health and wellness station, restaurant, conference facilities, a chancery honouring sporting greats, and eventually a museum and commercial dormitories.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Paralympic Association, also led by Samuda, has entered discussions with the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean regarding funding for a High Performance Centre of Excellence to serve both para and able-bodied athletes across a range of indoor sports.

Samuda also renewed his call for a pension plan for national sportsmen and women to complement the national health plan introduced in 2016.

SOURCE: The Jamaica Gleaner