Category:Sports in Jamaica

From Jamaica Wiki

The people of Jamaica love sports. The most popular sports are football, cricket, athletics and horse-racing.

Football is the most popular sport in Jamaica. The national football team qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After Jamaica has gained its independence the football team has been playing regularly with the football teams of Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Cuba.

Soon football became the most loved sport by the Jamaicans. Football also became part of the schools' sport programs. Currently there are football leagues established in Jamaica. The highest league is the National Premier League.

The Jamaican national cricket team competes regionally. It also provides players for the West Indies. Cricket is part of the old colonial heritage. Moreover cricket used to be the most popular sport in Jamaica as well as among the Caribbean people. The Jamaican cricket team used to be much more successful before, however it has not been performing that well.

The athletics team participated at the Olympics. It also presented well at the World Championships and other major athletics events over the years. Many Jamaican athletes won medals. One of the most popular Jamaican athletes is Asafa Powell. He has the world record in the 100m for men at 9.74s. Also the bobsled team has been a serious participant in the Winter Olympics, beating many well-established teams.

Many athletic disciplines are included in the schools' sport programs. There are also regular National Boys and Girls Championship (Champs')

Jamaica also has a bobsled team. The team performed unbelievably well in the Calgary Olympics Winter Games. Since the Olympics the team the team is training hard hoping to get another medal from the next Winder Olympic Games.

Golf is also developed in Jamaica. However the native population is not too keen on golf and it is mainly aimed at international visitors and tourism. A typical first-class golf estate is the Tryall Club near Montego Bay. Also near to Montego Bay is the White Witch course, and Cinnamon Hill.

Baseball is a sport rarely played in Jamaica. However there are several good baseball players that compete at the Major League Baseball in the USA. The most famous of those are Devon White and Chili Davis.

Basketball has its traditions in Jamaica. The Jamaica Basketball Association (JBA) was founded in the late 1960's. Since then the basketball tradition has been developing and nowadays there are annual league games.

Boxing is a sport not actively practiced in Jamaica. However there are several great box players of Jamaican origin - Mike McCallum, Frank Bruno, Trevor Berbick and Richard 'Shrimpy' Clarke. On the other hand many of the British boxers are in fact Jamaican competing for Britain.

One of the world's famous netball teams is the Jamaica's Women's netball team. Netball is the most popular sport among women in Jamaica and it is part of the schools' sport programs around the country.

Hockey is another sport not quite developed in Jamaica. Field hockey is played at the Jamaicans high schools. The Jamaican teams participate in regional and international competitions.