Paralympic Academy to be Established in Jamaica

On a recent official and historic visit to Jamaica, President of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, in endorsing the work of the Jamaica Paralympic Association declared that “Jamaica will be the hub of Caribbean Parasports development.”

The global president’s statement is part of the reality of historic grassroots five year project which will be implemented in Jamaica with a proposal to establish a Paralympic Academy as one of the outcomes.

Work will start in earnest when a delegation from the Latin American and Caribbean Development Bank and Americas Paralympic Committee arrives in the island next month.

A policy framework for the movement is a deliverable of the project as well as an infrastructural development plan, which the JPA supports.

“Financing teams, athletes, and coaches in their endeavours at games and tournament and equipping them with tools of their trade are very essential elements of sport development.

But building out an infrastructure where education and elite physical training are married to modern facilities and are headquartered in the same space is the genetic root of sports development.”