18 August 2025 | Author: Wayde Brown | Irie FM

The Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) will host two intensive GrassRoots training camps this month as part of a bold initiative to expand opportunities for Para athletes, coaches, and officials while laying a strong foundation for long-term Paralympic growth across the island.

The first camp, dedicated to Wheelchair Fencing, will be staged August 18–21 at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre and Hope Valley Experimental School. The focus will then shift to Para Powerlifting, with a second camp set for August 25–27 at the same venues, plus an additional day at New Phase Gym.

Both camps form a key part of the GrassRoots Project, a series of developmental activities that will culminate in the JPA’s Conference and Festival in September. The initiative is supported by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and the Americas Paralympic Committee (AmPC), and delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and World Para Fencing.

More than 30 participants will benefit from international expertise brought directly to Jamaica, receiving world-class technical instruction while helping to foster a more inclusive sporting environment. The effort underscores the JPA’s wider mission to expand the range of sporting opportunities for persons with disabilities and to strengthen the national talent pipeline for future regional and global competitions.

Christopher Samuda, President of the JPA, emphasized the organisation’s commitment to athlete development and legacy building.

“At the JPA we are all about empowering our athletes, coaches and officials and giving our youth choices as they seek to self-actualise in the arena of sports,” Samuda said. “The camps in Para Fencing and Para Powerlifting will provide more options and are opportunities the JPA is providing to athletes, coaches and officials – our local internal stakeholders – to learn from experts, build self-knowledge, create an insatiable appetite for excellence and be inspired to leave a legacy.”

That vision for empowerment is echoed by the Americas Paralympic Committee, which has described the GrassRoots Project as a transformative step for the wider region. The initiative is designed not only to prepare Jamaica’s next generation of Paralympians but also to create a regional blueprint that can be replicated in Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and beyond.

SOURCE: https://iriefm.net/jpa-launches-grassroots-training-camps-to-boost-para-sport-development-in-jamaica/

• By JPA Editor
• In Press Releases

Published: 16 Aug 2025

THE Jamaica Para­lympic Asso­ci­ation (JPA) is set to host two intens­ive train­ing camps this month, aimed at expand­ing oppor­tun­it­ies for para ath­letes, coaches, and offi­cials while lay­ing the found­a­tion for long-term growth in Para­lympic sport across the island.

The first camp, focused on wheel­chair fen­cing, is sched­uled August 18–21 at the Sir John Gold­ing Rehab­il­it­a­tion Centre and Hope Val­ley Exper­i­mental School.

A second camp, ded­ic­ated to para power­lift­ing, is to be held August 25–27 at the same ven­ues, with an addi­tional day at New Phase Gym.

These camps are part of a series of events under the Grass­roots Project, which will cul­min­ate with the JPA’S Con­fer­ence and Fest­ival in Septem­ber. The ini­ti­at­ive, sup­por­ted by the Devel­op­ment Bank of Latin Amer­ica and the Carib­bean (CAF) and the Amer­icas Para­lympic Com­mit­tee (AMPC), is being delivered in stra­tegic part­ner­ship with the Min­istry of Cul­ture, Gender, Enter­tain­ment and Sport, and World Para Fen­cing.

These camps are part of a series of events under the Grass­roots Project, which will cul­min­ate with the JPA’S Con­fer­ence and Fest­ival in Septem­ber. The ini­ti­at­ive, sup­por­ted by the Devel­op­ment Bank of Latin Amer­ica and the Carib­bean (CAF) and the Amer­icas Para­lympic Com­mit­tee (AMPC), is being delivered in stra­tegic part­ner­ship with the Min­istry of Cul­ture, Gender, Enter­tain­ment and Sport, and World Para Fen­cing.

Bring­ing inter­na­tional expert­ise dir­ectly to Jamaica, the train­ing will provide more than 30 par­ti­cipants with world-class tech­nical instruc­tion while also fos­ter­ing an inclus­ive sport­ing envir­on­ment. This approach reflects the JPA’S broader mis­sion to expand the range of sport­ing oppor­tun­it­ies for per­sons with dis­ab­il­it­ies and to strengthen the national tal­ent pipeline for future regional and global com­pet­i­tions.

Bring­ing inter­na­tional expert­ise dir­ectly to Jamaica, the train­ing will provide more than 30 par­ti­cipants with world-class tech­nical instruc­tion while also fos­ter­ing an inclus­ive sport­ing envir­on­ment. This approach reflects the JPA’S broader mis­sion to expand the range of sport­ing oppor­tun­it­ies for per­sons with dis­ab­il­it­ies and to strengthen the national tal­ent pipeline for future regional and global com­pet­i­tions.

Chris­topher Samuda, pres­id­ent of the Jamaica Para­lympic Asso­ci­ation, under­scored the organ­isa­tion’s com­mit­ment to ath­lete devel­op­ment and leg­acy build­ing.

Chris­topher Samuda, pres­id­ent of the Jamaica Para­lympic Asso­ci­ation, under­scored the organ­isa­tion’s com­mit­ment to ath­lete devel­op­ment and leg­acy build­ing.

“At the JPA we are all about empower­ing our ath­letes, coaches and offi­cial and giv­ing our youth choices as they seek to self-actu­al­ise in the arena of sports,” Samuda explained. “The camps in Para fen­cing and Para power­lift­ing will provide more options and are oppor­tun­it­ies the JPA is provid­ing to ath­letes, coaches and offi­cials — our local internal stake­hold­ers — to learn from experts, build self-know­ledge, cre­ate an insa­ti­able appet­ite for excel­lence, and be inspired to leave a leg­acy.”

“At the JPA we are all about empower­ing our ath­letes, coaches and offi­cial and giv­ing our youth choices as they seek to self-actu­al­ise in the arena of sports,” Samuda explained. “The camps in Para fen­cing and Para power­lift­ing will provide more options and are oppor­tun­it­ies the JPA is provid­ing to ath­letes, coaches and offi­cials — our local internal stake­hold­ers — to learn from experts, build self-know­ledge, cre­ate an insa­ti­able appet­ite for excel­lence, and be inspired to leave a leg­acy.”

That vis­ion for empower­ment is shared by the Amer­icas Para­lympic Com­mit­tee, which views the Grass­roots Project as a trans­form­at­ive step for the entire region.

“Thanks to the vis­ion­ary

sup­port of the Devel­op­ment Bank of Latin Amer­ica and the Carib­bean, and in stra­tegic part­ner­ship with the Jamaica Para­lympic Asso­ci­ation and the Min­istry of Cul­ture, Gender, Enter­tain­ment and Sport, the Grass­roots Project sets out to dis­mantle three long-stand­ing bar­ri­ers: tech­nical capa­city, access­ib­il­ity, and sus­tain­ab­il­ity,” said Michele For­monte, exec­ut­ive dir­ector of the Amer­icas Para­lympic Com­mit­tee.

sup­port of the Devel­op­ment Bank of Latin Amer­ica and the Carib­bean, and in stra­tegic part­ner­ship with the Jamaica Para­lympic Asso­ci­ation and the Min­istry of Cul­ture, Gender, Enter­tain­ment and Sport, the Grass­roots Project sets out to dis­mantle three long-stand­ing bar­ri­ers: tech­nical capa­city, access­ib­il­ity, and sus­tain­ab­il­ity,” said Michele For­monte, exec­ut­ive dir­ector of the Amer­icas Para­lympic Com­mit­tee.

“Par­ti­cipants will learn from World Para Fen­cing and World Para Power­lift­ing experts. Yet, the true value is not the cur­riculum, it is the mis­sion each par­ti­cipant takes home to mul­tiply inclu­sion, to turn an empty court into a field of dreams. Para sport is more than com­pet­i­tion, it is edu­ca­tion, health, equal­ity and dig­nity. Let us keep build­ing a Carib­bean where oppor­tun­ity is defined by effort, never by cir­cum­stance,” For­monte noted.

“Par­ti­cipants will learn from World Para Fen­cing and World Para Power­lift­ing experts. Yet, the true value is not the cur­riculum, it is the mis­sion each par­ti­cipant takes home to mul­tiply inclu­sion, to turn an empty court into a field of dreams. Para sport is more than com­pet­i­tion, it is edu­ca­tion, health, equal­ity and dig­nity. Let us keep build­ing a Carib­bean where oppor­tun­ity is defined by effort, never by cir­cum­stance,” For­monte noted.

The Grass­roots Project is designed not only to pre­pare Jamaica’s next gen­er­a­tion of Para­lympi­ans but to cre­ate a regional blue­print that can be rep­lic­ated in Bar­ba­dos, Trin­idad & Tobago, and bey­ond.

SOURCE: https://www.pressreader.com/similar/281754160405385

• By JPA Editor
• In Press Releases