JAMAICA has been granted the right to host the 2011 Pan American Junior Championships at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC) from July 24 to 31.

President of the Jamaica Badminton Association (JABA), Vishu Tolan, made the revelation to the Observer in an exclusive interview at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel yesterday.

In addition, president of the Pan American Badminton Federation (PABF), Gustavo Salazar, also revealed that Jamaica could be granted rights to the Pan American Senior Championships which would be held concurrently with the junior event.

“It was not on the table before, but they are seeing an opportunity for us to host it at the same time,” Tolan said.

Salazar, current vice-president of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), said that among the logistics involved in making the decision would be issues of accommodation, transportation and security, but noted that he was very interested in seeing Jamaica recapturing its former place as a leader in the regional game.

“We have to be very careful about the security because we have a lot of kids coming,” he said.

“It will be perfect for Jamaica because I think Jamaica has the lead in the Caribbean for badminton… we want to help Jamaica to once again be the centre in the Caribbean and for this part of Pan Am.”

The Pan American Senior Championships will serve as a qualifying event for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Salazar said the decision would be made within the next two weeks.

Initially, the JABA had proposed the National Arena as the main venue in its $7.2 million bid for the junior event, but PABF development director and technical committee member, German Valdez, who was a member of yesterday’s official delegation and inspection team, said the NISC was a better facility for a number reasons.

“It suits our needs,” he told the Observer. “We want to put in courts, for safety, I have seen the locker rooms and the facilities in the back would suit our needs.”

Jamaica first presented its bid to host the regional championships in May and learnt in August after outbidding Canada and Suriname.

Over 500 players from upwards of 16 countries — including Peru, Brazil, Mexico, and several in the Caribbean region — are expected to participate in the Pan American Junior championships.

Competition is expected in team and individual categories.

Tolan, who was recently elected president of the Caribbean and Central Badminton Association, said hosting the event would provide a less expensive means for Jamaican youngsters to get international exposure as the cost of carrying a team of approximately 40 individuals to a competition overseas could run in the region of $2 million.

He added that hosting the senior championships would only be marginally more expensive as the infrastructure would already be in place for the junior event and that additional costs for officials and two extra days of competition would be approximately $1 million.

“(But) we expect to bring in US$500,000-$600,000 into the economy from hosting the Championships,” Tolan said.

In the meantime, Salazar and Calderon will today visit the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sport where they will donate some US$500 in badminton equipment in the form of racquets, shuttles, and nets to the institution.

The duo will also be looking at the Spanish Town-based facility as the possible venue for a training camp for badminton players which would be held following the PanAm tournament.

Salazar, who departs Jamaica today, will later meet with chairman of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) and Local Organising Committee member, David Mais, to discuss plans for the Championships.

Jamaica last hosted a PanAm tournament in 1993 when the country hosted the Senior Championships. Jamaica has never hosted a Pam American Junior Championships.