Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) President Christopher Samuda says International Gymnastics Federation President Morinari Watanabe will visit the island soon.

Samuda, however, would not share details about the nature of the visit or time of arrival, as planning is still underway.

But he said another international sporting body’s president will also arrive this year.

Samuda was speaking to the Jamaica Observer at a press conference at JOA headquarters on Monday, where World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst and his wife Ingeborg were the special guests.

These visits also follow International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parson’s, and the Americas Paralympic Committee (APC) Executive Director Michele Formonte and other APC officials’ arrivals in February. Jamaica also hosted Thomas Bach in March 2023 during his time as International Olympic Committee president.

Samuda says it is vital that local sporting bodies participate in meaningful dialogue with their international federations (IF).

“Part of the protocol at the JOA is to welcome our IF presidents – to create an agenda for the transformation of the sport,” he said. “Boris is part of that agenda for the transformation of boxing, and of course, the ultimate goal is to transition the talent to the Olympic stage.

“What we have said to our sporting federations is that you can’t ignore your association with your international governing body. You have to develop a very strategic association with them and ensure that they understand your development needs and development initiatives to see how best they can help in conjunction with the JOA. We have said to our associations that that is the road map to the Olympic Games. We have to have all parties at the negotiating table negotiating that road map for the particular sport and ensuring that people understand, so that they know the role they have to play and what they have to do within a certain time-frame to ensure that the talent transitions to the international stage.”