‘We are on our way’ - JAGA president already getting Youth Olympics representative ready

President of the Jamaica Gymnastics Association (JAGA) Nicole Grant-Brown says her organisation is still celebrating two major milestones after Jamaica was selected to host the executive meeting of World Gymnastics next year and also secured a historic place at the Youth Olympic Games.

Grant-Brown said both achievements were significant steps forward in the development of gymnastics locally, and this international recognition reflects the hard work being done by the association.

“They will be having their executive meeting in Jamaica next year, which is a big thing because they don't really go to the developing countries, but they have decided to choose Jamaica as one of the developing countries based on the fact that they have seen how we are really working to develop our gymnastics,” said Grant-Brown. 

“We bid and bid and we won the bid, and they voted for us to host this event. It is a major thing, because all the leaders for the various committees that really run the sport will be coming here, so imagine the executive committee of FIFA coming here; so it is a big thing,” she said. 

Grant-Brown noted that more than 36 officials are expected to travel to the island for the meeting, with Coral Springs Hotel scheduled to host the delegates.

“It is over 36 members that will be coming to Jamaica and we are in dialogue with Coral Springs Hotel, who will be hosting them, and we are super grateful for that,” she said.

The JAGA president noted that the announcement has generated widespread excitement within the gymnastics fraternity, both locally and internationally.

“I am very excited about this because this is a great, major step for us and it doesn’t express how I feel; and I am just happy to show where we are in our sport and where we are heading,” Grant-Brown explained.

“It is a big statement for us and the whole gymnastics fraternity is happy about it.  And it is not just us, because everybody is happy for us.”

In another landmark achievement, Jamaica has also secured a single spot at the Youth Olympic Games, marking the first time the country will have representation in gymnastics at the event.

Grant-Brown said the association received the news shortly before the confirmation of hosting the World Gymnastics executive meeting.

“So we got this news last week, before we got the news about hosting the executive committee of World Gymnastics, that Jamaica has been chosen to take up a single spot at the Youth Olympics; and, I mean, this is a major milestone for us to have a Jamaican representing at the Youth Olympics for the very first time,” she said.

Grant-Brown pointed out that they selected Mariah Gordon to represent the country at the Youth Olympic Games. Gordon is a locally based gymnast who has been impressing the association with her performances.

“We are going to be sending a home-based gymnastics representative who trains locally, so it is a lot of work. And a high-level artistic coach came in last week, and she (Gordon) left on Monday to work with her,” she said. 

“She (Gordon) did her choreography, both floor and beam, and she (Gordon) works with teams in Canada as well as the Canadian team, so we are on our way.”

Grant-Brown shared that extensive preparations are already under way for Gordon, including a series of training camps and international exposure opportunities.

“We have a number of camps lined up for her and we are really working with her; and she will also be going to the Junior Pan Am Championships along with three other youth in Brazil next month from the 14TH to the 28TH,” she said.

“We are putting her up because she has been doing very well, and we just want to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to prepare her for this competition.”