Badminton athlete Samuel Rickets and gymnast Yyesha Mattis will be Jamaica’s flag bearers for tomorrow’s opening ceremony of the 2023 Pan American games at Chile’s National Stadium. 

Team Jamaica comprises 90 athletes in 16 sporting disciplines……..basketball, rugby, football, cycling, gymnastics, wrestling, boxing, taekwondo, weightlifting, canoeing, diving, swimming, e-sports, tennis, badminton and athletics. 

800 metres national record holder Navasky Anderson, and Olympian Fredrick Dacres are among the group of 19 track and field athletes to represent Jamaica. 

The list also include long distance runner Aisha Praught-leer, hurdle Jaheel Hyde along with throwers Rajindra Campbell, O’dayne Richards, Lloydrica Cameron, and Kai Chang

The cyclist is Dahlia Palmer, the lone diver is Olympian Yona Knight-Wisdom, Davis cup tennis competitors Blaise Bicknell, John Chin, and Rowland “randy” Phillips will wear the national colours in action, and Katherine Wynter will compete in badminton. 

They will also be joined by Jamaica’s women’s 3-on-3 basketball team, its men’s and women’s rugby union teams, the crocs, and the Lady Crocs, as well as a rotated line-up of Jamaica’s women’s football team, the Reggae Girlz to be coached by Wendell Downswell. 

Novelette Harris, Mark Bloomfield and Gregory Moore are the team managers, Nicole Grant is the chef de mission and the team doctor is Leroy Harrison.  

The top three athletes in 13 sporting disciplines will qualify for the Olympic Games, but if those finishing in the top three have already earned an Olympic spot, the qualifying place will go to the next best-placed athlete.