GANGNEUNG, Republic of Korea — There is a common saying that ‘it takes cash to care’.And naturally, in the world of sponsorship, branding and marketing, the givers of cash get amplified satisfaction when positive performances and results are attained.

Conversely, the people who are ‘cared for’ by the sponsors relish the feats even more because they feel they have justified the faith placed in them.

So, shortly after Jamaica completed back-to-back wins over Hungary and Trinidad & Tobago, respectively, as they seek to reach the floor hockey gold medal match at the Pyeongchang 2013 World Winter Games, the players were not about to miss the chance to acknowledge the people who made the trek across the Pacific Ocean possible.

Floor hockey captain Sydney Manyan spoke excitedly after the match about the opportunity to compete at the Special Olympics and identified the thrilling 4-2 win over Hungary as a confidencebooster for his team as they march forward.

“I want to thank all the sponsors, every single one of them. Their help gave us the opportunity to come here and I know the cost is a lot. We have to thank God for them… they are giving us the chance to showcase our talent so it’s good.

“We are showing what we can do. We beat a very good European team like Hungary… it builds the confidence in the team and we really enjoyed this one (win),” the 30-year-old said yesterday.

Defender Omar Brown, a leader in his own right and a commanding physical presence on the court, nodded in agreement with Manyan and chimed in with his praise for the SOJ and all its sponsors.

“Yes, I must say thanks to Special Olympic Jamaica (SOJ) and all of the sponsors that put this together for us, like Digicel, Puma, Sports Development Foundation (SDF), and all the others…and I’m sorry I don’t remember all their names right now,” the 25-year-old said while chuckling.

The local body’s biggest backer has been mobile provider Digicel, while other significant sponsorship and support has come from Puma, SDF, Development Options Limited, Team Jamaica Bickle, and the Law Enforcement Officers group.

Meanwhile, Manyan said his players have done well so far in the freezing cold temperatures and praised them for not being put off by the physical nature of the tournament here.

“It has been good here. Yes, it’s different from home and it’s cold, but everything here has been prepared well for us and we have fit in very well.

“The competition here is also different from home. Here it is very rough and some players aren’t use to it but they have adapted,” said the Jamaica skipper.

Jamaica is also competing in ice figure skating at the Championships, which end on February 5.