Mike Fennell was re-elected as Jamaica’s most powerful sports administrator on Tuesday night when he beat off a challenge from his former first vice-president Don Anderson to extend his position as president of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) for 36 straight years.

The elections were held at the Jamaica Olympic Association’s offices.

The 78-year-old Fennell polled 19 votes to Anderson’s 15. Anderson, who has been a fixture in the Olympic movement for decades, said he was assured of about 22 votes.

Meanwhile, two high- profile sports presidents Captain Horace Burrell of the Jamaica Football Federation and Dr Warren Blake of

the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association both lost out on bids for positions on the JOA executive.

Burrell was beaten by Badminton Association president Vishu Tolan for the post of first vice-president, while Blake lost twice, first to International Federations of Netball Association’s (IFNA) president Molly Rhone for the second vice-president position and then withdrew his name from the ballot for director after a tie with Dr Primadan Singh.

President of the Jamaica Paralympics Association Christopher Samuda is the new secretary general with long-time executive Compton Rodney the treasurer.

The other directors are Martin Lyn, Allan Beckford and Yvonne Kong.