Jamaica announces $360,000 prize money for every athlete who qualifies for Paris Olympics 2024

Jamaica’s sports minister, Olivia Grange, recently announced that JMD 360,000 will be awarded to every athlete who qualifies for the 2024 Paris Olympics, scheduled between July 26 and August 11. Grange has been the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport of Jamaica since 2016.

This announcement was made during a press conference conducted by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) ahead of the Jamaican National Senior and Junior Championships. The event is slated to be held from July 27 to 30 at the Kingston National Stadium.

The national championships will serve not only as the qualification tournament for the Paris Olympics but also for the World Athletics U20 Championships. The latter will be held from August 27 to 31, in Lima, Peru.

In a video that Television Jamaica/Radio Jamaica Newscentre posted on their X (previously Twitter), Grange discusses the rationale behind giving athletes cash prizes.

“I want to mention that we will be providing $360,000 (JMD) to each athlete who qualifies for the Olympics to see to their training and nutrition and just help them to get ready. And we're sending funds directly to their account. We're not sending it to an organization. Each athlete will receive in his or her own accounts,” she stated.

Furthermore, Grange announced at the press conference that JMD 50 million has been set aside as incentives for the athletes. Regardless of whether they bring home a medal or not, they will get the money after competing in the Olympics. In addition to the athletes, the supporting teams are also set to receive a part of the allocated prize money.

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Athletes who will compete for Paris Olympics 2024 spots at Jamaican National Championships

Oblique Seville is one of the athletes to watch out for at the National Championships (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, Elaine Thompson-Herah, and Shashalee Forbes are some of the top female sprinters who will be in action at the 2024 Jamaican National Championships in a bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics. It is worth noting that if Fraser-Pryce qualifies, this will be the last Olympic Games for the eight-time medalist, as she is planning to retire after the the upcoming edition of the quadrenniel event.

Meanwhile, in the men’s category, Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake, Kishane Thompson, Rohan Watson, Julian Forte, and Yohan Blake are some of the prominent names to look out for.

Some other top names who can make a statement at the event are Stacey-Ann Williams, Rushell Clayton, Junelle Bromfield, Janieve Russell, Hansle Parchment, and Omar McLeod, among others.