JBA seeks corporate buy-in for Pan Am badminton

PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA), Sheldon Townsend, is banking on corporate Jamaica, with discussions already started, to buy into Jamaica’s efforts to host the Yonex Pan American (PamAm) Championships to enable a successful staging in April.

According to Townsend, the JBA expects the usual support from government entities, Sports Development Foundation (SDF) and the Ministry of Sport, as well as the Jamaica Olympic Association, but corporate Jamaica’s help will be vital, as the preliminary budget indicates that the tournament will be costly.

Townsend, in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner, would not disclose the early estimates to host the tournament. He is, however, confident that, from initial discussions, the JBA will garner the required funds.

POSITIVE MINDSET

“Funding is ongoing. We are definitely looking towards corporate Jamaica to assist us with this one, and that is full steam ahead, all sails are up in identifying possible partnerships with corporate Jamaica. There’s a committee that’s dedicated to that,” Townsend said.

“We have to start off with a positive mindset and with the type of tournament and the magnitude of the tournament that we’re expecting, I am confident that corporate Jamaica definitely will see the benefit and will align their brands with the association and badminton.

“It’s an international tournament so we know securing funding and sponsorship is usually a challenge but I think we’re up to the task, in meeting that. We can’t call names as yet, because we have not confirmed but we have started the conversations,” he continued.

The JBA opted to stage the more internationally recognised Yonex PanAm Champs for next year instead of the Jamaica International Badminton Tournament, which usually takes place in February and March annually.

The PanAm Champs will be held at GC Foster College, with members of the JBA recently doing a walkthrough of the facility, in expectation of an inspection by Badminton Pan American Confederation (BPAC), the regional governing body, whose team will arrive on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, according to Townsend, the JBA will intensify several initiatives to ensure that Jamaican players will be competitive at the PanAm Champs.

He stated that the recent All-Jamaica Championships will be used to assess the players’ strengths, with the JBA already establishing criteria for selection.

“Training will commence way ahead of the tournament because the aim of the association is not to just show up because we are the hosts. We intend to compete. The players will be specially selected and be invited on a training programme to prepare,” Townsend said.

job.nelson@gleanerjm.com