KINGSTON, Jamaica — The president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) Rudolph Speid is pleased that the country was successful in bidding to host the 2016 Caribbean Volleyball Senior Men’s and Women’s Championship to be staged in July.

“It’s a big deal because we have wanted to do it for a long time,” Speid told OBSERVER ONLINE. 

“After we successfully hosted two tournaments last year we are seen as a volleyball destination. That’s in line with what we want for volleyball. We want to commercialise, popularise and professionalise the sport in Jamaica and this will help,” said Speid, the former head of Kingston & St Andrew Football Association.

Mushtaque Mohammed, the president of Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA), visited Jamaica in December to conduct site visits. In a letter to Speid, he noted JaVA’s “enthusiasm and drive” to provide the “best conditions” for hosting the Championship. 

JaVA is also slated to host the second round of Women’s Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifiers in Ocho Rios later this month.

Sanjay Myers