Safe Resumption of Sport draws nearer

Photo: The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport “Sport is critical for physical and mental wellbeing and must be considered as part of the approach to improving the wellness of Jamaicans.”

The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, has announced that a series of meetings will be held with the country’s sporting associations to determine when the various sports disciplines can resume some of their activities.

After a meeting between herself and the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr the Honourable Christopher Tufton, along with their respective technical teams, on Monday, January 11, 2021, both Ministers highlighted the importance of the safe resumption of sport.

They reiterated their commitment to move quickly to finalise the general protocols for sport that create a balance between health, wellbeing and safety.

Minister Grange said, “Sport is critical for physical and mental wellbeing and must be considered as part of the approach to improving the wellness of Jamaicans.”

For his part, Minister Tufton indicated that he is sensitive to the concerns of the sports sector. “We now must work assiduously to finalise the best set of business processes and protocols to enable the safe return of sport,” he said.

The following decisions were taken at the meeting:

• All requests for training and sport competitions or events must be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport for review;
• Clubs, affiliates and event organisers must submit their requests to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport through their national governing body; and
• The Ministry of Health and Wellness will provide technical support and guidance to and grant approval of the proposals recommended and submitted through and by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport
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A draft framework has already been prepared and the technical teams from both Ministries will meet on Thursday, January 14, 2020 to advance the Road Map for implementing the safe return of sport. Thereafter, a series of scheduled meetings will be held between the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the Sporting Associations.