The Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) will host two intensive GrassRoots training camps this month as part of a bold initiative to expand opportunities for Para athletes, coaches, and officials while laying a strong foundation for long-term Paralympic growth across the island.

The first camp, dedicated to Wheelchair Fencing, will be staged August 18–21 at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre and Hope Valley Experimental School. The focus will then shift to Para Powerlifting, with a second camp set for August 25–27 at the same venues, plus an additional day at New Phase Gym.

Both camps form a key part of the GrassRoots Project, a series of developmental activities that will culminate in the JPA’s Conference and Festival in September. The initiative is supported by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and the Americas Paralympic Committee (AmPC), and delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and World Para Fencing.

More than 30 participants will benefit from international expertise brought directly to Jamaica, receiving world-class technical instruction while helping to foster a more inclusive sporting environment. The effort underscores the JPA’s wider mission to expand the range of sporting opportunities for persons with disabilities and to strengthen the national talent pipeline for future regional and global competitions.

Christopher Samuda, President of the JPA, emphasized the organisation’s commitment to athlete development and legacy building.

“At the JPA we are all about empowering our athletes, coaches and officials and giving our youth choices as they seek to self-actualise in the arena of sports,” Samuda said. “The camps in Para Fencing and Para Powerlifting will provide more options and are opportunities the JPA is providing to athletes, coaches and officials – our local internal stakeholders – to learn from experts, build self-knowledge, create an insatiable appetite for excellence and be inspired to leave a legacy.”

That vision for empowerment is echoed by the Americas Paralympic Committee, which has described the GrassRoots Project as a transformative step for the wider region. The initiative is designed not only to prepare Jamaica’s next generation of Paralympians but also to create a regional blueprint that can be replicated in Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and beyond.