THE Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and The University of the West Indies (UWI) signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of fostering greater development of athletes, coaches, and sports administrators.

The contract was signed, during a press conference at JOA headquarters on Friday, by JOA President Christopher Samuda and dean of The UWI’s Faculty of Sport Dr Akshai Mansingh.

Mansingh says although the signing just took place, this is not a sudden undertaking as both parties had been in discussions over a period of time, finalising details.

“We’ve been talking for years about how best we could have a fit…because there have been some activities we have been partaking in which have been of mutual benefit,” he said. “I think both the JOA and UWI Faculty of Sport have recognised that things can’t continue as they are. The world of sports has moved far, far away from when we were champions in anything. If we don’t take heed and we don’t improve the calibre of the athlete and the standard of sport through the training, then we’re gonna suffer very, very quickly.”

Samuda says the JOA hopes that in the execution of this partnership, others will find what he describes as the blueprint of the other partnerships they hope to establish in sports.

“There is a feeling that there is nothing better than the present, and we feel that this document — the protocol of our critical agreement — will suffice and be more sufficient for our athletes, coaches, and administrators,” he said.

But Samuda says there are further details to be worked out.

“Each activation will have its own budget and there will be agreements related to that activation,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “What we will do now is to sit down at the table. Some of it will be curriculum-oriented, there will be executive management courses, and so forth, that will merge with our sport advance management course that we now have currently at the JOA.

“There will be activations that will deal with the commercialism of sport, the law of sport, the medicine of sport — because we feel that those disciplines are very critical in the development of a sport industry. You have to have the legal framework, the medical framework, and you have to have a commercial appetite for sport development to be meaningful to any community or the nation.”