BY BALFORD HENRY—
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia “Babsy” Grange, says she is confident that, this time around, the benefits from the summer Olympics will significantly impact GDP growth.
“We must inspire our people to make culture the chief corner-stone of our sustainable development agenda. But, it has to be more than just words. The time for action has long passed. The time for action is now,” Grange said in Parliament last month, on the eve of what has now turned out to be a major triumph at the Olympics in Rio De Janiero, Brazil.
She told Sunday Finance last Friday that, while the role of Jamaica’s track superstar Usain Bolt is yet to be finalised in the process, she is confident that he and other contributors to Brand Jamaica through sport will make themselves available when the government’s plans are finalised.
“This government is committed to move sport front and centre of economic growth,” she said.
She acknowledged that Bartlett had also given support to staging another ‘Jamaica House’ during the more recent summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero.
“Jamaica House in Rio was a tremendous success, so can you imagine what will happen in London where there is a large Jamaican diaspora? Through a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board, we will demonstrate what can be had through a joined-up Government” Grange told a ‘Jamaica House Rio’ press briefing held at the Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston, on Thursday.
Reflecting on the crowds visiting ‘Jamaica House’ in Rio, Grange acknowledged that they were less than those visiting the venue during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. But she pointed out that London has a very large Jamaican diaspora which is extremely supportive of the country’s sport, culture and entertainment sectors compared to Brazil where there is no known Jamaican diaspora.
She also announced that promotion of the Jamaican Brand will return to London next year, and even larger crowds are expected.
“Setting up ‘Jamaica House’ in London next year, during the World Championships, will definitely help us to capitalize on Brand Jamaica’s appeal and to exploit opportunities to promote our culture and our tourism and hopefully bring in new business,” she said.
“Jamaica House” is a marketing initiative which uses Jamaican culture and the popularity and success of the national athletes in major international competitions to market the country.
Grange explained that the Jamaica House concept emerged following her return from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she observed unexploited opportunities to promote Jamaican culture, tourism and other products. She worked with her colleague Bartlett and the Jamaica Tourist Board to develop the concept, she said.
During the Games, Grange did not just spend her time cheering on the Jamaicans, but also met and had discussions with several overseas sports ministers including Brazil’s Leonardo Picciani and Barbados’ Stephen Ashley.
“The Jamaican team did well on the track in Rio, Jamaica House Rio was a hit and this team of Minister Bartlett and I are on track to ensure that come next year Jamaica House London will be better,” she said.
She also announced that a site inside the 2012 Olympic facilities has been identified to establish Jamaica House in London next year.
Grange says that the government sees sport as an important industry, with the potential to contribute to the economic development of Jamaica.
“This is in keeping with the goals of Vision 2030, which is ‘to increase the growth of sport as a business and commercial activity with the potential to contribute to Jamaica’s economic development, and to maximise the role of sport as a source of wealth for a wide range of professionals,” she noted.
Grange noted that sport has had positive impact on popular culture in terms of behaviour and is considered an important means of reducing conflicts and disputes among local groups and communities in Jamaica.
She noted that fashion and other industries have benefited from Jamaican sport, mostly at the international level. For example, in 2008 at the World Games in Beijing, in one day Puma sold out all the sport shoes that had Bolt’s branding.
Advertisements and endorsements using Jamaican sport personalities are other examples of the international impact of Jamaican sport, she said.
She said that the government does not intend to stand on the sidelines. The Ministry of Sport has already started to revisit the country’s sport infrastructure and the technical capabilities existing in this great sporting nation.
“The goal of my Ministry is to expand and advance the role of sport in economic growth and development, tourism, individual empowerment (values consolidation, poverty alleviation, and wealth creation), and community renewal. It is our agenda to expand, deepen and consolidate our sporting prowess in terms of global leadership and market share,” she said.
In this regard, she said, the government will focus on: development of the commercial aspects of sport, support for the athletes, protection of our reputation in the sporting arena, plus unearthing and nurturing of talent and sport infrastructure and international training facility.
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