Dedicated area for Beach Volleyball in Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica, October
5,
2013 - The Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) has taken
another major step in their move to deliver stronger
performances by Jamaican teams in the sport of beach volleyball.
Their most recent effort was the preparation of a beach
volleyball playing area at the Urban Development Corporation (UDC)
managed Fort Clarence Beach. The facility, which was prepared on
the initiative of JaVA, with authorization from the UDC, will
provide JaVA with a dedicated area to use for the training of
its beach volleyball athletes and to stage competitions.
The UDC General Manager, Desmond Malcolm, revealed that the UDC
had further plans to develop Fort Clarence. "The beach
volleyball court complements our overall plans to upgrade the
existing beach facility as we seek to improve the offerings to
patrons."
Major Warrenton Dixon, President of JaVA, in expressing
gratitude to the UDC for their support, stated that the facility
will add significant value towards the objective of qualifying
teams to major international competitions such as the 2014 Youth
Olympic Games and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"We have been investing a lot of thought and resources into the
development of beach volleyball because it is our most
marketable product. The completion of the facility was timed to
coincide with the start of the Play-Off segment of the ongoing
JustBet/TvJ SN Beach Volleyball Tour because this segment will
be broadcasted on TvJ SN as a part of our marketing strategy.
“Essentially beach volleyball now has a dedicated home at Fort
Clarence, thanks to the kindness of the UDC, and this will
enable us to package and market our sport to the fans."
Major Dixon however stated that the facility was in its basic
form and that JaVA is in need of sponsorship to help with
improvements such as seating, fencing and other beautification
work.
This latest development comes on the heels of a series of
activities by JaVA, aimed at making Jamaican teams more
formidable on the international stage. In May 2013 the
Brazilian winner of the first Beach Volleyball Olympic
Championship in Atlanta, Jacqueline Silva, visited Jamaica to
conduct training with Jamaica's U-19 beach volleyball teams. In
June 2013 the U-19 teams were sent to Brazil for training and
exposure. This was followed by the first ever appearance by a
Jamaican beach volleyball team at the World-level event when the
U-19 teams competed in the FIVB World U-19 Beach Volleyball
Championships in July.
The signing of a repeat contract with JustBet and TvJ SN for the
running of a local Beach Volleyball Tour then ensued and is
currently ongoing. The U-19 teams will again see international
action when they compete in the Youth Olympic Qualifier in
Trinidad and Tobago in November this year. |