Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness.
Jamaica Information Service / Yhomo Hutchinson
World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe announced a US$100,000 donation to support Jamaican track and field members affected by Hurricane Melissa during his two-day visit to the island.
The announcement came last Tuesday at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association headquarters in Kingston during a media briefing.
The US$100,000 donation will support recovery programs for athletes, coaches, and officials affected by Hurricane Melissa, and will be distributed through the International Athletics Foundation.
“We can recruit external teams and agencies to come to the table to help,” stated Coe. “And I’m delighted to be able to announce this morning that we will make available $100,000 to help with those pathways and those programs.”
Coe, now in his tenth year as president, outlined a two-pronged plan to help Jamaica recover.
Besides the grant, Coe also announced a charity 5K run in Kingston this April. The event, organized with Mayor Andrew Swaby and led by Coe as patron, will direct all proceeds to broader hurricane relief efforts.
During his visit, Coe also met Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding to stress the non-partisan nature of the relief initiative.
He also met with stakeholder groups and visited track programs at Jamaica College and Excelsior High School.
