CHRISTOPHER Samuda, president of the Jamaica Paralympic Association, has called for the Montego Bay Sports Complex, situated in Catherine Hall, St James, to be the “Mecca of sporting events” for both the able-bodied and disabled athletes of western Jamaica.

Speaking at Sunday’s church service at Family Church on the Rock in St James, which marked Wednesday’s global celebration of International Paralympic Day, Samuda said the venue “must become the Mecca of sporting events, the earthenware of sporting aspirations, the rock of sporting prowess, the home of homegrown yard talent where the abled with a difference can fellowship with the able as both pursue, with conviction and faith, their dream to reality”.

Taking note of the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the St James Municipal Council and the Yoni Epstein-led Montego Bay Multi Sports Development Limited for the development of the facility, Samuda, who is also the president of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), added: “Catherine Hall must be the arc where the sweat of sportsmen, sportswomen, and our youth express the spiritual gift of talent.

“So let us rally around the black, green and gold of Catherine Hall, for although it will be the product of private investment, it is the capital and currency of Montegonians, St James, and the west.” Under the agreement, the private sector group took control of the facility on March 1 and were set to start work — after the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October last year caused millions of dollars in damages to the infrastructure.

On Sunday, Samuda noted that a number of Para athletes were developed in the region, underscoring the value of a first class facility that can aid their continued growth.

“The west is giving birth to Para champions — those who not only wear medals around their necks which fall on their chests, but those who wear a crown of faith on their heads,” he said. “That is the culture of the Jamaica Paralympic Association. We go beyond mortal failure, beyond man-made gold medals and records in sport, and record personal and family legacies in search of understanding our purpose, our value in sport — and not the praise of men.”

He went on to say, “Sport and sport development needs to tabernacle more in the west, for the west is known for giving birth to champions across the spectrum of sport…The west has always been an important shareholder of sport and it is time that we build out its infrastructure as part of the dividends generations now and yet born will enjoy.”

A view of the track from the grandstand at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James before the damages sustained from Hurricane Melissa. (Photo: Paul A Reid)