Jamaica has advanced preparations for the 2027 World Athletics Championships with the signing of a Training Camp Agreement between the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) and Tottori Prefecture of Japan.

It renewed a partnership that has supported the country’s athletes since the 2007 World Athletics Championships in Osaka. The agreement was signed at a press conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Monday.

Sports Minister, Olivia Grange, said the renewed arrangement represents a decisive step in strengthening Jamaica’s sporting diplomacy, international partnerships and preparations for continued success on the global stage, citing that what began in the aftermath of the 2007 Osaka Championships has developed into a lasting friendship between Jamaica and Tottori. 

She said the partnership had evolved beyond a traditional training arrangement into a relationship based on mutual respect, trust, shared values and a common commitment to excellence, referencing the 2025 training camp as evidence of the benefits. She said Tottori provided world-class facilities and comprehensive support services that allowed Team Jamaica to focus on performance and competition preparation.

People-to-people exchanges 

She highlighted the people-to-people exchanges that have strengthened the relationship, including Jamaican athletes interacting with students at Hakuto Special Needs School and participating in activities with children in Japan. The minister spoke about the Buddy Art Project, through which artwork created by students with disabilities was incorporated into flags welcoming the Jamaican team, which demonstrated how the partnership extends beyond athletics to friendship, community and shared humanity.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, welcomed the continued relationship between Jamaica and Japan, pointing to the wider contribution of Japanese cooperation to national development. He listed the emergency communication system established through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which has helped strengthen Jamaica’s early-warning system, as well as support provided through the Grassroots Human Security Projects programme that has benefited small communities across municipalities.

For his part, JAAA President Garth Gayle said the relationship with Tottori was fundamentally about people rather than simply facilities or training camps. He declared Tottori as a “home away from home” for many Jamaican athletes and welcomed provisions in the programme for Japanese representatives to visit Jamaican schools, observe the country’s track and field programmes and interact with coaches.

He said athletics had created a bridge between the two countries that distance could not diminish and expressed confidence that the partnership would continue beyond the 2027 Championships.

Governor of Tottori, Shinji Hirai, recalled the successful relationship that began with the 2007 Osaka Championships and subsequent Jamaican training camps in Tottori, including preparations for the 2015 Beijing Championships. 

He said Jamaica’s outstanding athletes, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt, had contributed to the country’s great achievements at the world championships. Governor Hirai said Tottori looked forward to welcoming the Jamaican team next year and pledged that the Prefecture would do its best to support Jamaica’s athletes as they seek to make more history on the world stage.