JOA ploughs over $150 million into Jamaica teams for CAC and Commonwealth Games

The Jamaica Olympic Association has invested more than $150 million to send Jamaican athletes to the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and the Commonwealth Games, both getting under way later this month, and is looking for a solid return on that outlay as sporting bodies promise strong performances.

The two multi-sport events will run at the same time, forcing the JOA to fund a record contingent of athletes and officials. Officials say every competitor, across every discipline, should have a path onto the regional and international stage — a principle the association describes as long-standing — and that federations bound for the CAC Games have been told clearly what the investment is meant to deliver.

Netball Jamaica is fielding a less seasoned Sunshine Girls squad than the one that competed in 2023, yet the side is aiming to defend its CAC Games gold. Team preparations have centred on focus, fitness, concentration and consistency, with roughly two to three weeks of work remaining. Trinidad and Tobago is said to have assembled a strong challenge, and Jamaica’s netballers say they know what awaits them overseas.

The Jamaica Badminton Association is targeting an improvement on the three bronze medals won at the previous CAC Games. Local organisers will host two tournaments in Jamaica in August, and CAC preparation has been folded into that busy schedule, with players training about five times a week, twice a day. Only two badminton athletes will travel after the association fell short of qualifications for a larger squad; both are among the island’s top players.

At least two other sports programmes are also seeking breakthrough results. Among them, Mervyn Ford will compete in the 1.77-calibre air pistol event, with expectations running high for his campaign. One contingent noted that CAC participation is not new for them, but that readiness this time feels stronger after solid training.

Netballer Shamaira Sterling and swimmer Colin McKenzie will carry Jamaica’s flags at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2. Tennis player Blaise Bicknell and rugby player Nyon Maddah will do the same at the CAC Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from July 24 to August 8.