Kingston 19 December 2018 – The national celebrations in honour of the historic qualification of the Jamaican team to the FIFA Women’s World Cup were a huge success, according to the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange.

The Minister said, the four-day celebrations, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, had achieved the objectives of introducing the Reggae Girlz to the people of Jamaica, presenting them as role models for women across the country and set the stage for increased tangible support for the team ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Minister appealed for more resources for the Girlz:

“I want to use the opportunity to encourage the private sector to come on board. So far a few have come on board, but we need more. We want them to put their money where their mouth is. We don’t want after we come back with the World Cup they all coming on the wagon. We want it up front. We want the financial support to make sure that the Girlz have all they need to ensure that they are well prepared for France.”

The four days of activities which began on Saturday ended on Tuesday with the Girlz being presented with the keys to Spanish Town and St Ann’s Bay by the respective mayors.

His Worship Councillor Norman Scott, presented the Key to Spanish Town at a civic ceremony held in Emancipation Square while His Worship Councillor Michael Belnavis presented the Key to St Ann’s Bay at a civic ceremony held at Sandals Ochi Beach Club in Ocho Rios.

The Reggae Girlz captain, Konya Plummer, who accepted the Keys on behalf of her teammates said they were “deeply humbled and appreciative” of the honour bestowed upon them.

In between the presentations, the members of the national team enjoyed the attractions at Mystic Mountain and at Dunn’s River Falls and Park, where the Girlz were welcomed with singing and the waving of flags by craft vendors and members of the public.

Minister Grange reflected on the significance of the Reggae Girlz being presented with keys to Spanish Town and St Ann’s Bay — two towns whose impact on Jamaican history has been immense.

It is believed that Christopher Columbus first landed in St Ann’s Bay in 1494 with New Seville becoming the first Spanish capital of Jamaica in 1509.

Spanish Town became the second capital of Jamaica in 1534 after the Spanish abandoned New Seville. Spanish Town is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Jamaica.

The Reggae Girlz were also presented with Keys to Kingston and Montego Bay and hosted by the Prime Minister during the celebrations.

Kingston, December 13 - The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, today told Lydia Heywood, the English-born Eventing rider who plans to represent Jamaica at the next Olympics: “You can expect assistance from the Ministry as you make your preparations to represent us.” 

The 21-year-old Heywood, who was first taken to Jamaica as a baby is on what is now her second visit. She met with Miss Grange at the Minister’s New Kingston offices today. 

The Sport Minister assured Heywood that she would be making a number of approaches which should result in significant resources for her programme of preparation between now and 2020 when the Olympics will take place in Japan. 

“We are thrilled that you have decided to represent Jamaica and we could do no less than to assist you to achieve your goals”, Miss Grange told Heywood.

Heywood, whose father hails from Clarendon, is accompanied on her visit by her mother Clare, who is English. 

She said: “I started at 10 on my Eventing journey when I joined a pony club in Gloucestershire where we live and I have trained hard through the years to perfect each stage of Eventing which are dressage, show jumping and cross country. 

“I know my drive for success will get me to my goal of winning Jamaica’s first Olympic equestrian medal.” 

Minister Grange said, she wanted Heywood, who returns to England next Monday, to visit Jamaica soon again, “as we wish to put you out there to the Jamaican public.” 

Eventing is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combination compete against other combinations across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. 

Kingston, December 11 – Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) 2018 schoolboy football champions, Clarendon College was lauded in Parliament today. 

Clarendon College was invited to Gordon House by the Speaker of House, the Honourable Pearnel Charles as a show of appreciation for their winning performances. 

Congratulatory statements came from several Members, including the Prime Minister the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, who praised the school for doing extremely well both academically and in sports over the years. 

The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport said: “They are totally deserving of us honouring them by the invitation to be our special guests in the House today. 

“It was a wonderful display of football which yielded for them not just the DaCosta Cup but the Olivier Shield and in winning the DaCosta Cup Competition this year, they did the unusual by maintaining a perfect record of wins. This by itself would be worthy of praise.” 

The Sport Minister said it could be fully understood that Clarendon College would devote this year’s titles to the late great football coach, Winston Chung Fah, who coached the school to an all-conquering side in 1977. 

“We are extremely pleased today to have representatives of Clarendon College making an appearance in the Parliament as the country recognises the school as the football supremos for 2018."

Kingston 10 December 2018 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced the schedule of activities to honour the Reggae Girlz’ historic qualification to the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.

“I want them to feel very special,” said Minister Grange.

The activities begin on Saturday (December 15) with a motorcade.

Minister Grange said:
“The motorcade will go through the Corporate Area. It will go into St Catherine. One of the stops will be GC Foster (College of Physical Education and Sport). Two of the girls are from Arnett Gardens, so we’re going to do something there. And we want to take them to western Jamaica.”

Minister Grange said it was “important that the girls are given a hero’s welcome and shown appreciation for their outstanding achievement” of qualifying for the World Cup Finals to be held in France in 2019.

“We want to ensure that as many Jamaicans see them and we’re asking all Jamaicans to join us in celebrating with them. We want to make sure that they go to France ready to tek it to dem”.

The celebratory activities include a major praise, worship and thanksgiving concert at Emancipation Park on Sunday (December 16) featuring some of the biggest names in local gospel music including Kevin Downswell, Kukudoo, Sista Pat and Wayne Marshall.

The Reggae Girlz will also be feted at a special reception hosted by Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness.

The full schedule follows:

Friday 14 December 2018

• Overseas-based members of team arrive 

Saturday 15 December 2018

• Motorcade across Montego Bay, St Catherine, Kingston and St Andrew 

Sunday 16 December 2018

• Praise, Worship and Thanksgiving Concert at Emancipation Park (5pm to 8pm) 

Monday 17 December 2018

• Courtesy Calls on leaders (schedule to be confirmed)
• Reception hosted by the Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness

Tuesday 18 December 2018

• Fun day (North Coast) 

Wednesday 19 December 2018

• Members of team depart Jamaica

Kingston, 7 December 2018 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced that the Jamaica Cricket Association will be among the first set of national sports associations to roll-out a national programme for safeguarding and protecting children in sports.

Minister Grange made the announcement at the St Catherine Cricket Association Awards Function in Twickenham Park on Thursday (December 6).

The national programme for safeguarding and protecting children in sport is being coordinated by the Inter-Ministerial Task Force established by Minister Grange earlier this year, among other things, see to it that “children in sport are not harmed in any way; and that fit and proper people are involved in all areas of children’s sport.”

Minister Grange said the Task Force has been considering several initiatives to safeguard and protect children in sport including mechanisms being implemented through the Jamaica Cricket Association in collaboration with UNICEF and Cricket West Indies.

“Based on the assessment of those initiatives and following discussions, I am pleased to announce that the Jamaica Cricket Association has agreed to be part of the first set of national sport associations to roll-out a national programme for safeguarding and protecting children in sports,” said Minister Grange.

The Task Forces comprises several stakeholders including the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, the National Parent Teachers’ Association, the various schools' sports associations, local sports governing bodies, as well as government ministries and agencies.

Kingston, December 5, 2018 – The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport says Gaynstead High School in taking both the Senior and Junior titles in the ISSA Urban Area Netball Competition, “was simply magnificent.”

Minister Grange’s comment follows the Finals of the Competition which took place at the Leila Robinson Courts at the National Stadium yesterday (December 4) and which saw Gaynstead Senior Team beating St. Catherine High School and the Junior Team topping Norman Manley High School.

“My feeling is one of ecstasy but this accomplishment by Gaynstead has been coming given the way their netball teams have been performing in recent years and I would like to think that their play has been aided even further by the netball court that we provided the school in 2017 through the Sports Development Foundation.”

Miss Grange, also a past head girl, said she was looking forward to Gaynstead representing Jamaica in the second staging of the regional AFNA Champion of Champions High School Netball Tournament as result of being crowned Jamaica’s urban area “school girl netball queens”.

“While I am still cheering for my alma mater, I wish also to commend St. Catherine High School and Norman Manley High School for their competitive play in the Finals and I say well done to all the schools and coaches.

Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius December 2, 2018 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has congratulated Clarendon College on winning the DaCosta Cup.

Clarendon Colleague won the title by defeating Cornwall College 2-1 in the final at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Saturday.

Minister Grange said:

“I am delighted to send congratulations to Clarendon College for their victory in the DaCosta Cup final.  I also commend the Cornwall College team for a very exciting match and a good season.  We’ve seen a high standard of play during this school boy football season and that’s a very good sign for Jamaica’s football.”

It was Clarendon College’s eighth DaCosta Cup title.

END

Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius December 1, 2018 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has congratulated Kingston College on winning the Manning Cup.

Kingston College prevailed 3-2 over St George’s College in the corporate area schools football final yesterday at the National Stadium.

Minister Grange said “it was a very entertaining match, it was of a high standard, and will be remembered for a very long time. All the young players on both teams deserve our praise, but special commendation to the Kingston College team on this historic victory.”

It was Kingston College’s first Manning Cup title in more than 30 years.

Kingston, November 21, 2018 -  The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport has said that it is not true that she had acted improperly in her appointment of the new board of directors of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), as alleged by the Opposition Spokesperson on Sport. 

“Nothing of the sort,” Miss Grange said. 

She said: “I acted within the dictates of the Articles of Incorporation of the SDF.

“It is obvious that it escaped the Opposition Spokesperson that on June 11, 2018, the ownership of the SDF was transferred to the Accountant General in the culmination of a process initiated by the Cabinet of which she was a member in July 2015. The intention was to identify all public companies that had registered shareholders/owners other than the Accountant General with a view to transferring those shares to the Government of Jamaica. 

“On May 17, 2018, the SDF registered its Articles of Incorporation with the Registrar of Companies and the Companies Office of Jamaica. These new Articles of Incorporation reflect the Government’s ownership of SDF. 

“My appointment of the Board of Directors is in keeping with the authority accorded as per the Articles of Incorporation. 

“Anyone looking on can see that I have indulged in no acts of politicisation as there has been little change of personnel in my re-appointment of the members of the SDF Board. 

“It is unfortunate that the Opposition should issue a statement that has absolutely no basis in facts,” Minister Grange concluded. 

END

Kingston, October 23 – Keeping true to a commitment she gave on October 12, the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has presented Jamaican footballer, Luton Shelton with a cheque for J$5million from the Sports Development Foundation towards his medical care.

Shelton was diagnosed with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. 

The presentation was made during the RSPL Monday night game on October 22 at the Harbour View Stadium.

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