Bell at Special Olympics Head of Delegation Conference

As part of the preparation for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games there is a Head of Delegation Conference being held in Los Angeles, United States, from January 21 to January 26.

The games will be also staged in Los Angeles, running from July 25 to August 2.

Items on the conference agenda range from athletes’ registration to sport and competition, venues, transportation, meals, medical care, and media and communication.

Lorna Bell, the executive director of Special Olympics Jamaica, is representing the country at the conference.

“These meetings are very important, especially when your delegation is huge and of course, remember we are travelling with special athletes, so it is important to look at housing, transportation and meals,” Bell said.

“I will also use the opportunity to meet the Jamaican community and share with them exactly the importance of these games.”

Over 170 countries and approximately 7,000 Special Olympics athletes are expected to attend the Summer Games.

Jamaica’s delegation should comprise 88 individuals. That includes 69 athletes, 17 coaches and two officials. They will compete in aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, bocce, football, female futsal and volleyball.

Bocce is a sport in which players use an underarm action to bowl a ball at a target. Points are gained by the ball’s proximity to the target.

Jamaica won international acclaim due to historic achievements at the Special Olympics 2013 World Winter Games in the Republic of Korea.

The tropical island won silver medals in two ice figure skating categories to go with their second-place finish in floor hockey.

Special Olympics aims to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

The programme offers these individuals the opportunity to develop physical fitness, participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families and other Special Olympics athletes.

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Bell at Special Olympics Head of Delegation Conference

JOA President clears the air about team selection for Youth Olympics

President of the Jamaica Olympic Association, Mike Fennell, has sought to clear the air regarding selection of Jamaica’s team to the Youth Olympic Games this summer in China, noting the process is being done through qualification.

Jamaica will be represented in four sporting disciplines at the games, track and field, beach volleyball, fencing and swimming.

Speaking with RJR Sports Online, Fennell explained that each athlete selected would have earned a place in the squad on merit.          

“Each International Federation for the sport set their own criteria as approved by the IOC for how you qualify”, Fennell commented.  “You will recall that last year we had the qualification of the two young beach volleyball players, the fencer qualified by competing in England, the track and field athletes qualified through the Junior Carifta Championships and the swimmers also”, Fennell further added.

Noting that plans have been going well for the Games with a youth ambassador also to be included on the team, Fennell says the athletes will be involved in more than just sports at the Games.

“The Youth Olympic Games has some special features,” Fennell said.  “It is not just a sports competition, but it also has a cultural and educational component which is compulsory for all participants”, Fennell highlighted. “So any athlete going to the Games, has to take part in the cultural and educational programme, because the IOC in its prescription for the Games are quite clear that they want this to be about the development of the whole person and no just your physical ability to win medals in a sport” the JOA head noted.  

Jamaica’s team to the second Youth Olympic Games set for August 16 to 28 in Nanjing China, will be announced next week.     

Sprinter Odean Skeen won Jamaica’s lone medal, at the inaugural Games in Singapore in 2010 taking gold in the boys 100 meters. 

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JOA President clears the air about team selection for Youth Olympics

Tokyo, Madrid, Istanbul await 2020 Olympics vote

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Leading Tokyo’s final pitch for the 2020 Olympics, Japan’s prime minister assured the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday that the leak of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant is “under control” and will never affect Tokyo.

The Japanese city is competing against Madrid and Istanbul, with all three making their final presentations ahead of a vote later in the day by the IOC.Tokyo made its case as the “safe pair of hands,” Madrid as the least expensive option, and Istanbul as the historic choice for a region yet to host the Olympics.Tokyo has been considered a slight favourite but has been on the defensive in the final days of the campaign amid mounting concerns about the Fukushima leak.“Some may have concerns about Fukushima,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in English. “Let me assure you the situation is under control. It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo.”Abe returned to the issue later when Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg asked for more assurances.“It poses no problem whatsoever,” Abe said in Japanese, adding that the contamination was limited to a small area and had been “completely blocked.”“There are no health related problems until now, nor will there be in the future,” he said. “I make the statement to you in the most emphatic and unequivocal way.”Tokyo Electric Power Company, Fukushima’s operator, has acknowledged that tons of radioactive water has been seeping into the Pacific from the plant for more than two years after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami led to meltdowns at three of its reactors. Recent leaks from tanks storing radioactive water used to cool the reactors have added to fears that the amount of contaminated water is getting out of hand.With major risks surrounding each bid, the final presentations could help decide a tight race. Abe and Prime Ministers Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Mariano Rajoy of Spain all flew to Buenos Aires straight from the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.All three are repeat bidders: Istanbul for a fifth time overall, Madrid for a third straight and Tokyo a second in a row. Picking the city with the least risks shapes up as the challenge for the IOC.IOC elections are extremely unpredictable as members vote by secret ballot and take different personal reasons into account. Some members are still undecided and will be waiting for the final presentations before making up their mind.With two IOC members absent, 95 will be eligible to vote in the first round. With a majority required for victory, the process is likely to go two rounds. The city with the fewest votes is eliminated after the first round, setting up a final head-to-head ballot. Outgoing IOC President Jacques Rogge will open a sealed envelope to announce the winner.Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, continued to portray itself as the safe choice at a time of global political and economic uncertainty.“Tokyo can be trusted to be the safe pair of hands and much more,” bid leader and IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda said. “Our case today is simple. Vote for Tokyo and you vote for guaranteed delivery. … Tokyo is the right partner at the right time.”Tokyo’s delegation also included Japan’s Princess Takamado.“This may be the first time a member our family has addressed you, but the imperial family of Japan has always been active in sports,” she said.Madrid, which has picked up momentum in recent weeks, contended that its bid makes the most economic sense, a project that can help Spain recover from severe recession and 27 percent unemployment rate. Madrid says 80 per cent of its venues are ready and only $1.9 billion is needed for construction, a fraction of the other two bids.“Madrid has perhaps the most reasonable and responsible financial foundation in recent Olympic history,” Rajoy said. “We can host the Olympics in 2020 with no risk to the Olympic movement.”Crown Prince Felipe, a former Olympic sailor and Spain’s flag-bearer at the 1992 Barcelona Games, said holding the games during difficult economic times is an “opportunity” for the country. He called the bid “both affordable and a responsible model for the future.”“We aren’t talking about dreams, but realities,” bid leader Alejandro Blanco said. “We’re not talking about concepts. We aren’t throwing away money, nor are we building castles in the sky.”Madrid’s presentation also featured Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles Lakers star and two-time Olympic silver medalist.“If you choose Madrid today,” he said, “I know that you will find no safer home for the 2020 Games, and no greater partner for next seven years than the people of Spain.”After the presentation, Heiberg asked Madrid about Spain’s position on doping, which has been perceived as lax.“Spain is at the same level as all other countries fighting doping,” Blanco said. “We’ve had a problem in the past, but we have prosecuted the athletes as well as those who harmed the health of the athletes.”Blanco also said Spain had adopted a new anti-doping law.“Please have no doubt,” he said. “We are a reliable partner. We believe in clean sports, we believe in athletes. You will always have Spain at your side.”Istanbul, making its fifth overall bid, was up first. The Turkish delegation pressed its case to take the Olympics for the first time to a predominantly Muslim country, to a city linking the continents of Europe and Asia.With the civil war in neighboring Syria posing a major issue for the Istanbul bid, Erdogan said taking the games to Turkey “will send a very meaningful and strong message, not only to the world, but to our broader region.”“At this critical moment, we would like to send a strong message of peace to the whole world from Istanbul,” Erdogan said.After the formal presentation, IOC member Prince Albert of Monaco asked what hosting the games in Turkey would mean to the wider region.“We believe that hosting the Olympics in Istanbul will give this signal, this spirit of friendship and sharing and peace,” Erdogan said. “And our country is a place where there is a lot of unity and diversity, and that is the idea that we can share on a broader scale with the Olympics Games being hosted in Turkey.”Istanbul’s bid has also been hit hard by the anti-government protests in June and a slew of doping scandals among Turkish athletes.Turkish IOC member Ugur Erdener promised that Turkey “will continue to enforce our zero-tolerance policy on doping.” Sports Minister Suat Kilic said Turkey would use criminal laws to prosecute anyone involved in promoting the use of banned substances.

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Tokyo, Madrid, Istanbul await 2020 Olympics vote

Madrid eliminated as host for 2020 Olympics

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The 2020 Olympics will be held in either Tokyo or Istanbul after Madrid was eliminated in the first round of Saturday’s voting by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Madrid initially tied with Istanbul as an also-ran in the secret balloting by the IOC Istanbul won a tiebreak vote 49-45.The IOC then immediately voted between the Japanese and Turkish cities in a second round, and IOC President Jacques Rogge announced that one received a winning majority. The winner was to be announced at a ceremony at about 4:15pm (EDT).Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, is bidding for a second straight time. This is Istanbul’s fifth overall bid.In their final presentations, Tokyo made its case as the “safe pair of hands,” Madrid as the least-expensive option, and Istanbul as an historic opportunity to bring the Olympics to a predominantly Muslim country for the first time.Madrid, bidding for a third straight time, had seemed to have gained the most momentum in recent weeks despite Spain’s economic crisis and 27 per cent unemployment rate. The Madrid team claimed the games would pose no financial risk because most of the venues were already built.Tokyo has been considered a slight favourite but has been on the defensive in the final days of the campaign amid mounting concerns about the leak of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.“Some may have concerns about Fukushima,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in English. “Let me assure you the situation is under control. It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo.”Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg asked for more assurances.“It poses no problem whatsoever,” Abe said in Japanese, adding that the contamination was limited to a small area and had been “completely blocked.”“There are no health related problems until now, nor will there be in the future,” he said. “I make the statement to you in the most emphatic and unequivocal way.”Tokyo Electric Power Company, Fukushima’s operator, has acknowledged that tons of radioactive water has been seeping into the Pacific from the plant for more than two years after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami led to meltdowns at three of its reactors. Recent leaks from tanks storing radioactive water used to cool the reactors have added to fears that the amount of contaminated water is getting out of hand.Tokyo continued to portray itself as the safe choice at a time of global political and economic uncertainty.“Tokyo can be trusted to be the safe pair of hands and much more,” bid leader and IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda said. “Our case today is simple. Vote for Tokyo and you vote for guaranteed delivery. … Tokyo is the right partner at the right time.”The Turkish delegation pressed its case of taking the games to a city linking the continents of Europe and Asia.With the civil war in neighbouring Syria posing a major issue for the Istanbul bid, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said taking the games to Turkey “will send a very meaningful and strong message, not only to the world, but to our broader region.”“At this critical moment, we would like to send a strong message of peace to the whole world from Istanbul,” Erdogan said.IOC member Prince Albert of Monaco asked what hosting the games in Turkey would mean to the wider region.“We believe that hosting the Olympics in Istanbul will give this signal, this spirit of friendship and sharing and peace,” Erdogan said. “And our country is a place where there is a lot of unity and diversity, and that is the idea that we can share on a broader scale with the Olympics Games being hosted in Turkey.”Istanbul also has faced anti-government protests and a slew of doping scandals among Turkish athletes.Turkish IOC member Ugur Erdener promised that Turkey “will continue to enforce our zero-tolerance policy on doping.” Sports Minister Suat Kilic said Turkey would use criminal laws to prosecute anyone involved in promoting the use of banned substances.Madrid said 80 per cent of its venues were ready and only US$1.9 billion was needed for construction, a fraction of the other two bids.“Madrid has perhaps the most reasonable and responsible financial foundation in recent Olympic history,” Spanish Prime Minster Mariano Rajoy said. “We can host the Olympics in 2020 with no risk to the Olympic movement.”Crown Prince Felipe, a former Olympic sailor and Spain’s flag-bearer at the 1992 Barcelona Games, said holding the games during difficult economic times was an “opportunity” for the country. He called the bid “both affordable and a responsible model for the future.”Heiberg asked Madrid about Spain’s position on doping, which has been perceived as lax.“Spain is at the same level as all other countries fighting doping,” bid leader Alejandro Blanco said. “We’ve had a problem in the past, but we have prosecuted the athletes as well as those who harmed the health of the athletes.”Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Madrid eliminated as host for 2020 Olympics

Tokyo, Madrid, Istanbul await 2020 Olympics vote

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Leading Tokyo’s final pitch for the 2020 Olympics, Japan’s prime minister assured the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday that the leak of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant is “under control” and will never affect Tokyo.

The Japanese city is competing against Madrid and Istanbul, with all three making their final presentations ahead of a vote later in the day by the IOC.Tokyo made its case as the “safe pair of hands,” Madrid as the least expensive option, and Istanbul as the historic choice for a region yet to host the Olympics.Tokyo has been considered a slight favourite but has been on the defensive in the final days of the campaign amid mounting concerns about the Fukushima leak.“Some may have concerns about Fukushima,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in English. “Let me assure you the situation is under control. It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo.”Abe returned to the issue later when Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg asked for more assurances.“It poses no problem whatsoever,” Abe said in Japanese, adding that the contamination was limited to a small area and had been “completely blocked.”“There are no health related problems until now, nor will there be in the future,” he said. “I make the statement to you in the most emphatic and unequivocal way.”Tokyo Electric Power Company, Fukushima’s operator, has acknowledged that tons of radioactive water has been seeping into the Pacific from the plant for more than two years after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami led to meltdowns at three of its reactors. Recent leaks from tanks storing radioactive water used to cool the reactors have added to fears that the amount of contaminated water is getting out of hand.With major risks surrounding each bid, the final presentations could help decide a tight race. Abe and Prime Ministers Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Mariano Rajoy of Spain all flew to Buenos Aires straight from the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.All three are repeat bidders: Istanbul for a fifth time overall, Madrid for a third straight and Tokyo a second in a row. Picking the city with the least risks shapes up as the challenge for the IOC.IOC elections are extremely unpredictable as members vote by secret ballot and take different personal reasons into account. Some members are still undecided and will be waiting for the final presentations before making up their mind.With two IOC members absent, 95 will be eligible to vote in the first round. With a majority required for victory, the process is likely to go two rounds. The city with the fewest votes is eliminated after the first round, setting up a final head-to-head ballot. Outgoing IOC President Jacques Rogge will open a sealed envelope to announce the winner.Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, continued to portray itself as the safe choice at a time of global political and economic uncertainty.“Tokyo can be trusted to be the safe pair of hands and much more,” bid leader and IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda said. “Our case today is simple. Vote for Tokyo and you vote for guaranteed delivery. … Tokyo is the right partner at the right time.”Tokyo’s delegation also included Japan’s Princess Takamado.“This may be the first time a member our family has addressed you, but the imperial family of Japan has always been active in sports,” she said.Madrid, which has picked up momentum in recent weeks, contended that its bid makes the most economic sense, a project that can help Spain recover from severe recession and 27 percent unemployment rate. Madrid says 80 per cent of its venues are ready and only $1.9 billion is needed for construction, a fraction of the other two bids.“Madrid has perhaps the most reasonable and responsible financial foundation in recent Olympic history,” Rajoy said. “We can host the Olympics in 2020 with no risk to the Olympic movement.”Crown Prince Felipe, a former Olympic sailor and Spain’s flag-bearer at the 1992 Barcelona Games, said holding the games during difficult economic times is an “opportunity” for the country. He called the bid “both affordable and a responsible model for the future.”“We aren’t talking about dreams, but realities,” bid leader Alejandro Blanco said. “We’re not talking about concepts. We aren’t throwing away money, nor are we building castles in the sky.”Madrid’s presentation also featured Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles Lakers star and two-time Olympic silver medalist.“If you choose Madrid today,” he said, “I know that you will find no safer home for the 2020 Games, and no greater partner for next seven years than the people of Spain.”After the presentation, Heiberg asked Madrid about Spain’s position on doping, which has been perceived as lax.“Spain is at the same level as all other countries fighting doping,” Blanco said. “We’ve had a problem in the past, but we have prosecuted the athletes as well as those who harmed the health of the athletes.”Blanco also said Spain had adopted a new anti-doping law.“Please have no doubt,” he said. “We are a reliable partner. We believe in clean sports, we believe in athletes. You will always have Spain at your side.”Istanbul, making its fifth overall bid, was up first. The Turkish delegation pressed its case to take the Olympics for the first time to a predominantly Muslim country, to a city linking the continents of Europe and Asia.With the civil war in neighboring Syria posing a major issue for the Istanbul bid, Erdogan said taking the games to Turkey “will send a very meaningful and strong message, not only to the world, but to our broader region.”“At this critical moment, we would like to send a strong message of peace to the whole world from Istanbul,” Erdogan said.After the formal presentation, IOC member Prince Albert of Monaco asked what hosting the games in Turkey would mean to the wider region.“We believe that hosting the Olympics in Istanbul will give this signal, this spirit of friendship and sharing and peace,” Erdogan said. “And our country is a place where there is a lot of unity and diversity, and that is the idea that we can share on a broader scale with the Olympics Games being hosted in Turkey.”Istanbul’s bid has also been hit hard by the anti-government protests in June and a slew of doping scandals among Turkish athletes.Turkish IOC member Ugur Erdener promised that Turkey “will continue to enforce our zero-tolerance policy on doping.” Sports Minister Suat Kilic said Turkey would use criminal laws to prosecute anyone involved in promoting the use of banned substances.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Tokyo, Madrid, Istanbul await 2020 Olympics vote

Bolt to quit after Rio Olympics

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Jamaican track star Usain Bolt is considering retiring after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he said yesterday.

But any plans for going out to grass at the age of 30 would come after three more years of domination that might include a pop at the Commonwealth Games next year and another shot at bettering his own 200m world record.Bolt has dominated the competitive world of sprinting since claiming three gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, but hinted ahead of tomorrow’s season-ending Diamond League meet in Brussels that Rio would be his third and last.“After the 2016 Olympics: that seems to be a good idea, retiring when I’m still on top of my career,” said the six-time Olympic gold medallist.“But again, if I want to continue to dominate on the track I can’t afford an off season, that is a lesson that I have learned. This wasn’t a perfect season for me. I won but it was not in a ‘Usain Bolt fashion’.”‘Usain Bolt fashion’ or not, the 27-year-old Jamaican still claimed a treble gold at last month’s world championships, taking his world gold medal haul to eight.“Now that I’m getting a bit older, I know that I have to stay injury-free, maintain focus and act responsible,” he said.Bolt added that any plans for the 2014 season, a year with no global championships, would be taken in October after he had taken some time off.“I will prepare for the next season very well. First, I encouraged my coach (Glen Mills) to turn it down a bit but he convinced me that that is a bad option,” he said.“You need to continue working hard, reduce the risk to get injured and not having to pick it up from scratch.“So in 2014 I will be racing like I did in any other season. The Commonwealth Games? I’ve never been there before, but I’ll leave it up to my coach to decide on my competition programme.”Bolt also hinted that bettering his own world record of 19.19sec in the 200m, his favoured event, could be on the cards as well.“The 100m world record (which he also set) is the hardest to break because it is more technical,” Bolt said.“In the 200m, if I can master the bend and stay injury-free, there is room for improvement.“As I said, I will prepare well to race as fast as possible in 2014, and with no championships on my mind I can concentrate on just trying to race as fast as I can.”

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Bolt to quit after Rio Olympics

Jamaica may be barred from Rio 2016 Olympics -- WADA

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says that Jamaica is at risk of expulsion from the Rio 2016 Olympics and other major competitions if the country fails to address it’s deficient testing procedure for athletes.    

WADA director general David Howman urged the island’s government to investigate claims by the former executive director of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCo) Renee Anne Shirley that its drugs-testing programme was completely inadequate.Shirley accused Jamaica’s politicians and sports administrators of ignoring her warnings that the positive tests returned by Asafa Powell and four other athletes were a “disaster” waiting to happen, saying: “They believe Jamaica does not have a problem,” UK newspaper the Telegraph reported.Howman warned that if the country refused to take its responsibilities seriously, WADA could deem the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCo) non-compliant with the WADA code, which could have dire consequences for the country’s elite athletes, including world champion Usain Bolt.“Our normal approach if we have issues falling into the category of either complaint or concern is to try to work with the particular signatory – in this case the NADA [National Anti-doping Agency] – and remedy it,” Howman said. “If nothing happens, we can ask our board to declare any of the signatories non-compliant and that has implications as to whether teams from the country would be admitted into various events.“We report the non-compliance to people who can then consider whether other sanctions ought to follow. That would be the IOC [International Olympic Committee] and IAAF [International Association of Athletics Federations] and so on.”                                         Shirley went public with her concerns this week in an article for US magazine Sports Illustrated and a follow-up interview on CNN.  “We were certainly concerned by the comments and would anticipate that the government and the agency itself would be appropriately responding,” Howman said.“It’s serious. And I think that if responsible people in Jamaica are looking at it then they will address it. I would be disappointed if they didn’t. But, certainly, if there’s a lack of response then it’s something that we at Wada would want to take up with the Jamaican government.”WADA was heavily involved in helping Jamaica establish JADCo around the 2008 Olympics and Howman defended its efforts to make it a world-class testing programme after women’s sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce returned an adverse finding three years ago.Shirley revealed that JADCo conducted just one out-of-competition test in the five months leading up to London 2012, something Howman admitted WADA had also been aware of. “We’ve worked closely with Jamaica for a number of years. I was down there a few years ago to try to look after issues we felt needed to be addressed and they were then addressed by the government of the day,” Howman said.“We knew that there was a spell in Jamaica where they didn’t have a CEO and there was a spell when they were not conducting testing and we didn’t know the reason for that. But that was certainly something that we became aware of.“There was a gap where there was nothing because the previous CEO resigned to take up a political appointment or to seek election in the government. We were worried about that.”Howman refused to reveal whether WADA had contacted JADCo or the Jamaican government after Shirley’s article, describing such discussions as “confidential”.He added “We’ve had a pretty cordial relationship with the prime minister, who used to be the minister of sport. We’ve had no problem in the past in communicating with her and meeting with her and addressing issues that are of concern. So I would anticipate that ease continuing if it reached the situation of requiring it.”

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Jamaica may be barred from Rio 2016 Olympics -- WADA

Ardenne Prep wins at Hollywood"s Talent Olympics

A group of Jamaican children have topped the Junior Instrumental category of the 17th annual World Championships of Performing Arts, also called the Talent Olympics, held in Hollywood, California last month.

They walked away with a haul of 23 gold medals, four plaques and a trophy, as well as the title of grand champion in their category.The team, called Lightening Drummers, attends Ardenne Prep and comprises seven members from age 10 to 12.Drumming teacher Karen Davis told the Jamaica Observer that she knew the success was within reach, especially after the young musicians won two gold medals at the recent festival competition put on by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).“I was not satisfied with only local achievements so I decided to enter them in the Talent Olympics. I’ve always wanted to put them on the world stage, and separate from that, I believe the talent of children should be developed and not ignored,” Davis said.Sophia Reid, a parent of one of the drummers, spoke of her scepticism toward drumming as her child was known to be indecisive about extra-curricular activities.“When Kevon told me he wanted to do drumming I questioned [it] at first, because I had previously paid for swimming and tennis then he quit those activities as soon as he started. I realised he had a piqued interest in drumming when he would come home and practise beats in the bathroom and on my furniture,” Reid said.Reid, like Davis, said though the achievements at the JCDC competitions were good, the group needed greater exposure and she has seen where it has impacted personal development in the children.“While at the Olympics I was overjoyed, especially when I saw how relaxed they were. It has really helped them to break out of their shells and go after what they want. When I saw how many areas they were successful in I knew the effort put into the group and getting them to Hollywood was worth every dime and I have no regrets,” Reid said.Principal of Ardenne Prep, Myrtle Clarke said she was delighted with the achievements of her students and sought to encourage the importance of extra-curricular activities.“These activities help to mould children and it’s a forum for them to express themselves,” Clarke said.She said the music curriculum should not be treated as unimportant given the role it plays in academic achievement.“Drummers have to be good listeners and that is key to learning. Music is known to calm the nerves and it develops the ability of any individual to think critically, especially the theoretical aspect, seeing that part of the discipline is close to math,” she said.The two women, however, expressed their disappointment with the support they received from local entities, stating that despite the benefits of music, it was often disregarded.“Studies show that music helps to stimulate the brain, and that there is a correlation between children who do music and academic excellence. I don’t believe we pay much attention to other areas apart from track and field, and it was disappointing when we were abroad as the contingents from other countries showed they had full support from government and citizens. This was the Olympics of performing arts, and going forward I believe the nation should give more support,” Reid said.Reid added that parents like herself should encourage children to be involved in activities other than academics.“As parents, we must understand that not every child will be a scholar. No matter what it is, encourage your children, because at the end of the day what they achieve most times is what you would never have imagined in your wildest dreams,” she said.Jamaica has won at the Talent Olympics before. Among the winners Samantha and Ana Strachan topped the senior category for vocal duets in 2003, Andrew Clarke was the best senior vocalist for 2008; and in 2011, Marvin and Akino were adjudged senior grand champions in the variety artist of the world category. The Lightening drummers display their medals from last month’s Talent Olympics.Lightening drummers in performance

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Ardenne Prep wins at Hollywood"s Talent Olympics

Jamaica to present at regional Special Olympics conference

Sport

BY SANJAY MYERS Observer staff reporter Sunday, July 21, 2013

SPECIAL Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) Executive Director Lorna Bell is excited at the prospect of sharing the country’s feats at the 2013 World Winter Games when she addresses the regional body at a July 22-25 conference in Charlotte.In a statement ahead of her trip to the Special Olympics North America (SONA) Conference for the presentation titled ‘Leveraging National and World Games Marketing and Communications’, Bell did not disguise her enthusiasm.“It is an honour to be invited to share Jamaica’s tremendous success at this year’s World Winter Games in Korea and the visibility this great movement received as a result of the extensive media coverage our athletes garnered for other Special Olympics programmes to learn from,” said Bell, who will be travelling to the United States alongside outstanding SOJ athlete Tamra Mitchell.Earlier this year, the local body basked in the global spotlight thanks to Jamaica’s outstanding display at the Games in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.The country won two silver medals in ice figure skating to go with their second-place finish in floor hockey at the eight-day Championships.The SONA meeting is part of a wider acknowledgement of the Special Olympics International movement, which celebrated its 45th year this month.At the conference, members are also expected to discuss plans for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held in Los Angeles.The SONA region has over half-million athletes participating in all 30 sports offered by Special Olympics. It is the home to athletes from the Caribbean, Canada and the United States.Special Olympics is a global movement for people with intellectual disabilities that fosters inclusion and helps to spotlight their struggles and accomplishments.The disabilities can either be acquired or genetic and can include cases of Down’s Syndrome, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy.There are approximately 4.2 million athletes across 170 countries training and competing in the Special Olympics organisation.BELL… it is an honour to be invited to share Jamaica’s tremendous success at this year’s World Winter Games in Korea

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Jamaica to present at regional Special Olympics conference