The 2022 staging of the Commonwealth Games is scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England. Jamaica, whose participation has long been a significant feature of the event since 1934, is looking to gain its largest medal count at the Games.

At the last Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia Jamaica mined 27 medals, the largest count ever. This year there is a push to increase that number significantly.

The largest number of gold medals were earned in Melbourne, Australia in 2006 and Glasgow, Scotland in 2014 when Jamaica captured 10 on both occasions.

Jamaica will be participating in a record number of 17 sports, including, swimming and diving as the water sports, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, judo, lawn bowls (for the first time) squash, triathlon, wrestling, table tennis, weightlifting, netball, rugby and para-athletics.

Unlike the Gold Coast where the athletes were housed in one space, this year, they will be housed across four Villages, the Commonwealth Games Village in Birmingham, Warwick, National Exhibition Centre and the New City Centre.

Jamaica’s delegation will be led by Chef de Mission Rudolph Speid, chairman of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Technical and Development Committee, with a supporting management team – Martin Lyn, president of the Aquatics Sports Federation, Elaine Hayden, secretary general Rowing Association of Jamaica, Kaydean Webley, Games Manager for the Paralympic Association, Horane Brown, president of the Lawn Bowls Association and Wayne Thompson, Jamaica Teqball secretary general.

President of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) Christopher Samuda stated that he intends to make a “blast” in Birmingham.

“In Birmingham, the Jamaica Olympic Association will create a blast. A blast that will signal to the world that we are now totally of age, not only in track and field but in other sports and that is the promise that the Jamaica Olympic Association made when we came into office in 2017 and transitioned into 2021.”

Samuda is expecting massive support from the Diaspora in Birmingham which has a sizable Jamaican population.

“It will be a Commonwealth blast in Birmingham where we will celebrate with the Diaspora that is waiting patiently but with a sense of enthusiasm and conviction for our arrival and we shall arrive. My commitment and my directors’ commitment is to make Jamaica a signal sports powerhouse, 17 sports and I can promise you on the next edition, nothing less than 25,” he ended.