Two-Man Race for Jamaica Olympics Presidency

(ATR) The Jamaica Olympic Association is prepared to elect its first new president in decades during its general assembly on June 27.

Only two candidates were nominated to replace current president Michael Fennell who has led the JOA since 1989: JOA vice president Vishu Tolan and JOA secretary general Christopher Samuda.

Tolan and Samuda are joined on the JOA election ballot by 16 others seeking the positions of first and second vice president, secretary general, treasurer and four directors. The election of the new JOA board will be chosen by the 36 Jamaican National Federations at the JOA headquarters in Kingston.

The losing presidential candidate will not be included on the new board as neither Samuda nor Tolan is running for other positions in the organization.

If elected, Samuda could become president of both the Jamaica Olympic and Paralympic Associations. He is running on a platform to institute better governance and ethics practices within the organization.

"Strong ethics and a culture of fair play, an unqualified love, passion and commitment to sport and sport development and a strong corporate approach and practice which my professional practice and my experience in the corporate world, particularly as president of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions and my chairmanship of private and public bodies have inculcated in me," Samuda told the Jamaica Observer.

Tolan, who is also vice president of the Badminton World Federation, says the JOA needs a more professional staff to better serve its athletes.

"The first thing we're going to do is we're going to employ a general manager/CEO, along with staff to meet the federation's needs," Tolan told The Gleaner.

"We will build on the excellent foundation that previous boards, headed by the Honorable Mike Fennell, have established and will seek to ensure that every sporting organisation affiliated with the JOA realizes their full potential," Tolan said in his manifesto.

The candidates for first vice presidents are Warren Blake (first vice president), Nelson Stokes (first vp), Garth Gayle (second vp) and Martin Lyn (second vp). Alan Beckford is competing with Marva Bernard for the position of secretary general while Nichole Case and Compton Rodney go head to head to lead the JOA treasury.

The eight candidates seeking one of the four director positions are: Raymond Anderson, Stephen Jones, Yvonne Kong, Ali McNab, Paula Daley-Morris, Robert Scott, Wayne Shaw, Priamanand Singh and Laurel Smith.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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