The Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA) received a donation of eighty rackets from the Japan Badminton Association under the Sport for Tomorrow (SFT) initiative.

The handover took place on Thursday (July 8) at the Old Hope Road headquarters of the Kingston Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).

The function was attended by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, His Excellency, Masaya Fujiwara — Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, Christopher Samuda — President of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and Nichole Case — President, JBA.

Grange lauded the donation, indicating that despite the global COVID-19 pandemic she was pleased that the Japanese government continued to show support to Jamaica.

Case thanked her Japanese counterparts and hoped that the partnership between the two badminton associations would continue. She promised the eighty rackets would be put to good use, to increase the sport’s popularity and reach, and eventually create an Olympic legacy by supporting local athletes.

SFT is an international imitative jointly implemented by Japanese public and private sectorsto share the values of sport and promote the Olympic and Paralympic Movement to people of all generations around the world including developing countriestoward the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. SPF was started in 2014.

In 2017, the Japan Triathlon Union donated two triathlon bikes and related tools to the Jamaica Triathlon Association through C. P. Ricardo Allicock, Ambassador of the Embassy of Jamaica in Japan.