Kingston, 11 September 2019 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, announced today that a group of investors from Canada that are “standing by” to build an ice rink along with a bob-sled practice track and an 800-room boutique hotel on Jamaica’s north coast.

Minister Grange spoke at the press conference called by the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Administration (JAAA) to announce Jamaica’s team to the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, later this month.

“At this time, I will not say exactly where on the North Coast but will do so soon. The ice rink will facilitate tournaments and pre-season training. The investors are ready right now to sign a memorandum of understanding to get the activity going. They will be visiting Jamaica shortly.”

The sport Minister said Jamaica became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation in May 2012, the first Caribbean nation to do so. “But in order to compete at the Winter Olympics the country must have at least one ice rink and a development programme,” she said.

The Sport Minister also congratulated Jamaica’s Senior Men’s Ice Hockey team once again for creating history by winning the AmeriGol-Latam Cup on Sunday in Coral Springs, Florida in the USA.
“It was a splendid performance as Jamaica continues to show the rest of the world how good we can be in sports which are not traditional to us.”

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