Brazil base secured for pre-Olympic camp

Plans for a pre-Olympic camp in Brazil are going smoothly, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president, Mike Fennell, has confirmed.

The 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5-25 the JOA has already acquired a base for the camp, which will commence on July 24.

The JOA boss told STAR Sports they will be holding two camps, one for the track and field athletes and another for the swimmers. But while the track and field representatives will use a Rio de Janeiro naval base, which is a physical education centre for the navy and the training site of several civil and military sports, swimmer Alia Atkinson and diver Yona Knight-Wisdom, will decide on a location of their choice.

"We have done a series of consultations with the coaches and officials from the JAAA and we have agreed on a camp at the naval base in Rio for athletics. We are also making another camp for the swimming people, Alia Atkinson and diver, Yona Knight-Wisdom, at a separate venue," he said.

sporting disciplines

However, pre-Olympic accommodation for the nation's representatives in other sporting disciplines will be delayed until qualifications for these non-traditional sports have been secured.

"When we know who have qualified, we will make preparations. We won't know fully until we sign off the qualification," he said.

"We know that as far as track and field is concerned we have to wait until the Trials are held at the end of June, and we will know who is going after the JAAA has made its selections.

We have one swimmer and one diver, who has already qualified. We are hoping more will qualify because we have a number of other swimmers who are close to the qualifying standard and we are hoping for more of that.

"We also have the fantastic news of a gymnast (Toni Ann Williams) qualifying and that was really tremendous. Unfortunately, we didn't make it in fencing, but we are still awaiting the cyclist (Marloe Rodman) and he is pretty close to qualifying and we hope he reaches the standard, plus there is also a chance for a boxer. But we won't know all of this until all the qualifying events have taken place," he insisted.