JAMAICA’S preparations for the 2027 World Athletics Championships received a boost yesterday with the signing of a 2027 World Athletics Championships Training Camp Agreement between Jamaica and Tottori Prefecture in Japan.

The agreement represents the latest chapter in a sporting partnership that began in 2007 following the World Athletics Championships in Osaka and has since developed into a nearly two-decade relationship built around athletics, cultural exchange and friendship.

Garth Gayle, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), was pleased with the agreement, which he believes sets the tone for a successful campaign at the championships.

“We want to ensure the best facilities and all that is needed for a successful campaign in Beijing 2027,” Gayle said.

Gayle says the Japanese will provide additional technical support, while the camp will also allow Jamaica to stage trial meets for its athletes. He said the trial meets proved pivotal for Oblique Seville, who went on to strike gold at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

“The camp also allows the athletes to acclimatise as there is not much difference between Japan and China, so this is a good opportunity for coaches, managers and athletes to get ready for a successful championship,” Gayle said.

Sports Minister Olivia Grange described the renewed agreement as an important step in strengthening Jamaica’s sporting diplomacy and international partnerships.

“Today’s signing represents another decisive step in strengthening Jamaica’s sporting diplomacy, international partnerships and preparations for continued success globally,” Grange said.

She said the relationship with Tottori had evolved beyond simply providing Jamaican athletes with a venue to train, becoming a lasting friendship between Jamaica and Japan.

“What began in 2007, in the wake of the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, has evolved into more than a training arrangement. It has become a lasting friendship between Jamaica and Tottori,” Grange said.

The partnership has already produced tangible benefits for Jamaica’s athletes, particularly through the 2025 training camp ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo.

Grange says Team Jamaica was provided with world-class facilities and comprehensive support services, allowing athletes and staff to concentrate fully on competition preparation.

She also highlighted the contribution of hundreds of volunteers, interpreters, medical personnel, officials, sponsors and community members who helped make the Jamaican delegation feel at home during its stay.

Grange also pointed to exchanges between Jamaican athletes and Japanese communities, including a visit by Assinie Wilson, Kelly-Ann Beckford and teammates to students at Hakuto Special Needs School. That interaction subsequently inspired the Buddy Art Project, through which artwork created by students with disabilities was incorporated into flags displayed to welcome the Jamaican delegation.

Other exchanges included Jamaican athletes interacting with kindergarten children in Sendai, where they played games and received handmade medals.

“These moments remind us that this relationship extends far beyond training and competition; it is a bond of friendship, community, and shared humanity,” Grange said.

The sporting ties between the two countries have also been strengthened through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, which saw Jamaican Olympian Christine Day appointed Jamaica’s first sports exchange advisor.

Day is based in Tottori, where she shares her sprinting knowledge and mentors athletes, providing another avenue for the development of athletics and cultural links between Jamaica and Japan.

Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai and Chairman Shinichi Hamazaki attended the signing and greeted guests in Jamaican dialect with “What a gwaan” before reverting to Japanese, with their remarks translated by an interpreter.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie was also on hand for the signing and highlighted the broader relationship between Jamaica and Japan, including the friendship and cooperation between Tottori Prefecture and Westmoreland.

McKenzie says Jamaica and Japan are celebrating 62 years of bilateral relations, with cooperation extending beyond sport into community development, emergency communications and economic revitalisation.

He also highlighted the impact of Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Projects programme on micro and small businesses and municipal corporations, while noting the Social Development Commission’s continued collaboration with Japan on community initiatives, including sport.