Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has announced a renewed government commitment to bolstering the systems that support Jamaican athletes. The announcement was made during her Sectoral Debate presentation in Parliament on Tuesday, following directives from Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness.

This move comes in response to growing public concern over a recent wave of athlete transfers, including the high-profile cases of Roje Stona, Wayne Pinnock, Rajindra Campbell, and Jaydon Hibbert, who have opted to represent Türkiye.

“I’m committed to looking at the following, initiatives establishing a national athlete support and retention strategy and as indicated by the Prime Minister that I should engage stakeholders to this effect,” she said. “We will look at how we can expand partnerships with the private sector to provide financial incentives and sponsorship opportunities.”

The commitments made by the Minister also includes “Enhancing training and recovery infrastructure to meet international standards, offering career transition services for athletes beyond competition, long-term career planning and transition services expanded financial and health coverage discussions in collaboration with the private sector, further incentivized national representation packages particularly for high performance athletes and strengthen our partnerships with sporting federations to ensure holistic athlete development from start to finish.”

Minister Grange emphasized that the Government is not only committed to addressing immediate gaps in the current athlete support infrastructure but will also begin consultations to design a comprehensive framework aimed at developing and retaining elite athletic talent within Jamaica.

She also defended former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, who earlier this year publicly criticized the level of support given to athletes. Powell’s remarks sparked national debate on how best to support the country’s sporting ambassadors.

Grange noted that Powell’s criticisms should not be viewed as an attack on the government but rather as valuable insight from someone who has experienced the system firsthand.

“A particularly sobering reflection came recently from Asafa Powell who publicly expressed his reluctance to have his own Jamaican born children compete for their country of birth. His remarks were not made lightly, but out of an honest critique of perceived neglect and structural limitations. That expression must not be ignored but examined and that expression must not be interpreted as a negative for the government.”