The goal is clear for the Jamaica National Federation: #Paris2024

KINGSTON (Jamaica) - The message is clear; Jamaica wants to see its national basketball team at the Olympics in Paris, France in 2024. That is why the country's Basketball Federation [JABA] works full steam on short, medium and long term projects to make that dream possible, massifying the sport and polishing its talent base.

The 25th edition of the Jumpball Basketball Program camp is one of the federation's development initiatives that received more than 300 participants and 50 volunteer coaches this month. It was four days of training and fun, with the purpose of providing leisure opportunities for children during the summer school break. The National Stadium court was the stage for participants between 6 and 16 years old to practice the sport and receive educational talks every day. This project has another four stops program in Jamaica this summer

The Star Search and Life Skills Camp was the next step. Over a week, 115 boys and girls participated in various activities to learn the basic skills of the game, play some games, receive motivational talks by international professional resources and be recommended [scouted] for possible opportunities for athletic and educational scholarships in the Exterior.

One of the pleasant surprises of the camp was the good female attendance, which according to JABA is growing year after year and has resulted in expansion plans of other organizations such as the Inter-Secondary Schools Association [ISSA], which plans to add a Sub-category 14 for girls in next year's tournament. Gordon also mentioned that another 16 young Jamaicans are being developed in an eastern country as part of an exchange for two months.

"I think it's important to talk about your goals, say them out loud, let other people know what you want to do and where you want to go," he told local newspaper Rick Turner, coach of the Jamaican national team. “Every time I have the opportunity, I speak it, I call it # Paris2024. That's where I want to be in 2024, in Paris with the Jamaica Basketball team, preparing to play against the best in the world and hopefully we can bring a medal back to Jamaica. ”

The president of the Federation, Paulton Gordon echoed the statements of preparer Turner.

“As Rick [Turner] indicated, our vision, our goal, is Paris 2024 and I think we have enough ammunition here, in universities and also in Europe [to achieve it]. We have enough Jamaicans playing, in terms of the expansion to gather and integrate our own team to represent Jamaica in the 2024 Paris Olympics. So that's the dream. I want you to buy that dream, ”Gordon said.

This week, the federation also sent eight of its best youth talents to Digicel's NBA Elite Camp in Trinidad and Tobago. Three of those talents, in the under-14 and under-16 categories, were chosen to participate in the third phase of the program, which would take them to New York to participate in more clinics, practice parties, and other activities. During their stay in Trinidad, players had the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with former NBA player Caron Butler.

FIBA