JWF president touts sport at Open Beach competition
Published:Sunday | January 5, 2025 | 12:14 AMAshley Anglin - Sunday Gleaner Writer
The constant weather shift between the sun and rain throughout the afternoon was not enough to upstage the Jamaica Wrestling Federation’s (JWF) inaugural Open Beach Wrestling competition, which kicked off yesterday with local and international participants showcasing their power and technique.
The first staging of the Open Beach Wrestling competition, which was open to the public for free, saw over 30 participants make their presence felt in the sand at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, St James, beginning under the midday sun.
Osayimwese Osagboro, president of the JWF, says the sport can be beneficial to the youngsters locally, noting that it should be launched in schools.
“If you engage and are serious about wrestling, you can get a scholarship to study at a university in the United States of America (USA). Outside of Jamaica, wrestling is a massive sport. A lot of Jamaicans don’t recognise it.
“If we had wrestling in our high schools, which we want to do, eventually if you are 17 years old you can get a scholarship. That is how far you can go; you can go to the Olympics,” Osagboro told The Sunday Gleaner.
“The only sport that offers more medals in the Olympics than wrestling is track athletics. Wrestling, along with boxing, is one of the oldest sports in the Olympics,” he added.
Aaron Johnson, a national heavyweight freestyle wrestler, said hosting events like these gives the sport exposure that it needs.
“It is great. We had some locals out and it is growing our sport on the island. It is giving us exposure and people around the world are seeing that we have wrestling and it is great to have some eyes on it,” he said.
“Some locals got a feel of what it is like to wrestle with an international wrestler like myself and a few more that are here; how strong and technical they are at the highest level of the world,” Johnson added.
There was also an all-female international referees competition, which was split into three age groups, with under-15, under-20 and senior categories that were open to all interested persons.
Along with Jamaicans, participants came from Canada, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the USA.
Osagboro said the federation has plans on making this an annual flagship event for the association.
“We will do more events like this, but we also want to do indoor mat events as well, not just on the beach because we want to grow the sport and allow people to qualify to go to the Olympics. Beach wrestling is not yet in the Olympics but it is growing and is being lobbied for along with Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling.”
Jonovan Smith from Puerto Rico was crowned with the Jamaica Beach Wrestling belt in the senior category.
Gold medals were also won by Montego Bay resident, 16-year-old Michael Saddler of St James High School, in the under-20 category; and 12-year-old Illya Moe and 10-year-old Dowayno Galloway from Jamaica in the under-15 category.
Meanwhile, the lone female wrestler, 13-year-old Jada Steer from Marymount High School in St Mary, said wrestling is helpful for self-defence, especially for youngsters.
“There are a lot of crazy things happening in Jamaica right now, so for me it is training me to defend myself. The killing, fighting, kidnapping and raping, it is good to learn self-defence. I love to fight and I love parkour (acrobatic training), it is amazing,” Steer said.
Continuing, she said, “It was not my first-time fighting boys. The first match was easy and I won but the second one, he had more experience than me, so I lost. It was fun and I enjoyed my time at the event.”