KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, on Tuesday launched the National Athletics Junior Championships for boys and girls at the primary school level.

Grange made the announcement about what she termed the ‘Junior Champs’ at a press launch at the Institute of Sports (INSPORTS) at the National Stadium.

“The National Athletics Junior Champs will be the counterpart at the primary school level to the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Boys and Girls Champs. We are branding it the National Junior Champs. It will be up and running as we continue to provide a ‘nursery’ to produce future generations of outstanding track and field athletes,” the sport minister said.

“Between May 2 and 4 we will have the Eastern Championships at Stadium East to start us off; followed by the Central Championships between May 9 and11 at the GC Foster College; then the Western Championships at STETHS between May 12 and14; culminating with the grand finale, the inaugural staging of the National Athletics Junior Championships for Boys and Girls in the National Stadium from May 26 to May 28,” Grange added.

She went on to urge the private sector to support and sponsor the new venture as they have done for the Boys and Girls Championships.

“I am making an appeal to the private sector to provide sponsorship for these Championships in the same way support is given to the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships. There will be as many as 500 participating schools and so I am inviting the private sector to come on board now with support for the primary-level event,” Grange said.

Continuing she said: “Over time, the Government has invested millions of dollars at the primary school level in track and field and INSPORTS can take credit for laying the foundation on which the careers of many of our outstanding athletes has been built. Athletes like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Melaine Walker, Warren Weir, Kerron Stewart; Jazeel Murphy, Ramone McKenzie and many others.”

“More recent stand-out athletes to have competed at Primary School Champs have been Christopher Taylor; Tyreke Wilson; Raheem Chambers and Brianna Lyston,” the minister said.