THE Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), has received sound backing from its affiliates after relaunching its website, www.joa.org.jm.

The website provides greater functionalities to the various sporting associates and also revenue-earning capabilities through live streaming with another new partner, StrideVisionTV. Live streaming will capture sporting events and key engagements, the implementation of a Diaspora and crowd-funding platform that will allow Jamaicans and supporters across the world to support Jamaica on its journey towards the ’10 in 20′ campaign and beyond, and provide advertising space.

Numbered among the updated functions are online applications for financial support, engagement and investment opportunities; monetisation of the JOA’s assets to include member associations; plus a chronological archive of the nation’s sporting history and successes, both past and present.

“It’s an excellent step in the right direction in terms of rebranding the JOA. It certainly allows us as member associations to know what’s going on with the association,” said Suzanne Harris-Henry, secretary general, Jamaica Paralympic Association.

“If we want to put in an application for funding or whatever you can make that link. Earlier I was saying if you make a phone call and somebody forgets your request, you know that it wouldn’t get dealt with. If you do it through the website you’d be sure that you’ve the trail that you put in an application, and whatever it is the request will be there,” Harris-Henry observed.

“Personally, I’m not on Instagram or Twitter, but certainly it’s an excellent tool for the person who likes to tweet and Instagram. You certainly will know what’s going on with the JOA, athletes, the board members — you can look on the profile of everyone,” she concluded.

Leroy Brown, general secretary of the Jamaica Boxing Board, also raised his gloves for the website upgrade.

“It broadens the horizons of the Jamaica Olympic Association because the outreach is taking place now. And this is one of the great things about the organisation, in that it is reaching out to the national associations and then getting them to link with each other; and this will get us even closer. And then now we’re able to see what is going on throughout the association, so it really has a far-reaching effect. And there’s pay-per-view — there again we’ve an income stream there, so it’s a win-win everywhere you turn,” analysed Brown, a long-time sports administrator who also serves tennis.

Audrey Gaynor, a former top national player who continues to serve her sport as vice-president of the Jamaica Hockey Federation, is sold on the upgrade and advances made by the JOA under the leadership of newly installed President Christopher Samuda and CEO Ryan Foster.

“I want to congratulate the JOA on the launch of their website; I think they’re moving in the right direction. I’ve been to a number of their press launches with their new liaisons with sponsors, and I think it’s a great way to go,” said Gaynor.

“I’m looking forward, especially, to the interactive platform of the website where we can send in applications for stuff and we can book rooms, etc… Those things are very important in the whole scheme of things. People don’t necessarily have time all the time to call and wait on people so these are very important things, and the fact that you’re capturing data, you’re archiving important information so that anybody can access it is brilliant, and I really commend them on this initiative,” she added.

Gaynor, a key member of the Jamaica team that won gold at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in 1990, was asked to comment further on the archiving.

“I like the part where they say ‘past, present and future’, and I’m hoping I’m a part of the past; and someday it may have a little picture here or there of hockey in its better days. I know right now we’re going through a struggle, but we’re sticking with it and hoping for better days, and I think if the heads of sport in Jamaica would understand that everybody needs to be impacted in whatever they’re doing so they also can lift themselves, then the sky’s the limit,” noted Gaynor. “I like this approach, the new way of the Jamaica Olympic Association. Kudos!”