JAMAICA’S combined martial arts team has a new brand sponsor on board in the Courtleigh Hotel for what is expected to be a heavily laden season of international activities, which started with the recent International Sport Kickboxing Association’s (ISKA) World Championships in Portimao, Algarve, Portugal.

Olympian Kenneth Edwards departed New Jersey yesterday with Courtleigh Hotel as his main sponsor, heading for Chelyabinsk, Russia, for the May 15-18 World Taekwon-Do Federation World Championships.

Along with Mighty Fist, Courtleigh Hotel is a primary sponsor of Edwards as he seeks to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The hotel has also committed to sponsor the combined martial arts team for the ISKA Gold Cup in Orlando, Florida, in July, and is title sponsor for Jamaica’s squad at the 2015 US Open at Disney’s Coronado Resort.

Nicole Madden Greig, director of sales at Courtleigh Hotel, noted that the combined team’s extensive international travels represent an ideal vehicle for the hotel’s brand.

“We are supporting the team as it is our belief that the growth of sports and tourism is critical for Jamaica. We want to support both sports and tourism in a positive way,” she said.

The US Open, especially, she said, was a good opportunity to be seen as the tournament is the biggest martial arts open in the world, being held in Disney, one of the world’s biggest tourist attractions.

“It is support we want to give. We have a relationship with the organisers. We have worked with them in the past and it is something we will support them on,” Madden Greig added.