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Sports is so very important to each and every one of us, and in
an Olympic year, the whole country will band together in a few
months as we rally behind our superstars and bright new stars.
On a daily basis however, so much more can be done to foster our
natural abilities and international brand as high performers.
Community Integration
Sport has long be seen as a vehicle for social integration which
keeps communities together and is a persuasive tool in promoting
shared interests alongside fostering a keen sense of civic pride.
Parish Councils must exercise even greater leadership in bringing
schools, voluntary sport clubs, National Governing Bodies of
sport, health and the private sector together to forge partnerships,
unblock barriers to participation and improve the local sport
delivery system. Their understanding of communities will enable
them to target opportunities and encourage mass participation.
Sports Tourism
We will intensify efforts to establish an extensive sport tourism
programme that will, among other things, provide discounted prices
to athletes that wish to use our sports facilities (especially during
their winter season). These sports training facilities should be
equipped to meet international standards and include gymnasium,
swimming pool, indoor halls, cycling velodrome, squash courts,
conditioning units, hockey fields (grass & synthetic), athletic track
(cinder & synthetic) and outdoor courts (such as lawn tennis
courts).
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Training and certification of Sports Professionals
We will enhance greater partnership between the Government and
our local sporting bodies to enhance the training and certification
of our local coaches (and those aspiring to be coaches) not only to
meet local but also international standards that would deem them
qualified/certified to ply their trade across the globe.
SPORTS
We will also look beyond coaches, and at creating a marketplace
and providing expanded training for other sport professionals such
as Sports Physicians and Specialists, Physiotherapists, Sports
medicine physicians, Exercise Physiologists, Sports Nutritionists,
Sport Administrators/Managers, etc.
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Improving Facilities
We will forge partnerships between Jamaican / international
entities to tap into funding opportunities for sport and community
development. Jamaica has more than 1600 sporting facilities;
including track and field, football, netball etc. These existing
facilities need to be rehabilitated. Other facilities should be built.
The facilities located in our nation’s schools should be considered
in this venture as this would negate the need to procure land while
improving the facility to which school children would have access.
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Research in the area of sport sciences
We will promote the importance of conducting research in the field
of sport. The days of relying solely on ‘raw born talent’ is a thing of
the past, especially in light of the many advances in approaches
to preparation of athletes for competition. There is also a great
need to conduct research on our population as it relates to their
participation in sporting activities in order to develop strategies
to improve the health of our citizens. This consultation will be
undertaken in conjunction with the Ministry responsible for health.