Weightlifters target LA 2028

President of the National Weightlifting Association of Jamaica (NWAJ), Omarie Mears, says plans are being put in place to ensure the Jamaican flag returns to the Olympic weightlifting stage at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Mears, who also serves as head coach of Team Jamaica, said the association’s long‑term goal is clear – to have Jamaican lifters qualify for LA 2028. Jamaica last competed in Olympic weightlifting at the 1988 Seoul Games, where Calvin Stamp was the island’s lone representative.

Over the past six years, the NWAJ has made steady progress, competing at two Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and two Commonwealth Games. Mears believes this foundation can propel Jamaica toward its Olympic ambitions.

“We’ve been running for nearly six years now competitively. We’ve made it to two Commonwealth Games, and we’ve made it to two CAC Games,” Mears said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t make the last Olympics, but we’re now in the process of aiming for qualification for LA 2028; that is our major goal.”

A key part of that process, he explained, is creating a structured pathway for athlete development. The association is identifying junior lifters, exposing them to consistent competition, and guiding their transition into the senior ranks.

“We want to build from the ground up,” Mears said. “We want to build our youth athlete system to make it stronger so we can get youth athletes going from the youth, junior, and into the senior group.”

He added that strengthening school and community programmes is essential to expanding Jamaica’s talent pool and sustaining long‑term competitiveness.

“We want to improve the sport that’s in the schools but also in the community as well. We want to ensure that there’s better pathways and systems in place to support those athletes, and support our international claim as well,” he said. “If we want to go to the LA, it’s all about the systems in place and the support. We have a strong strategic framework that works on leadership, that focus on the development of the grassroots sport and focus on the performance of our athletes.”

DRAWING INTEREST

Second vice‑president Soneil Ellington said Jamaica’s recent appearances at the CAC and Commonwealth Games have demonstrated the country’s potential in the sport. He believes continued participation will attract new athletes and strengthen Jamaica’s international profile.

“We’ve always had the ideas and the building blocks to do it, so we’re just putting the right measures in place, gathering the athletes and everybody’s working hard and getting it done,” Ellington said. “We’ve shown that we can do it and now we’re just aiming for the stars and doing as much as we can get done. It’s important for us because with all the events, we’ve been building a lot of partnerships, a lot of friends, a lot of experience; which are the things we are going to need going towards LA.”

His sentiments were echoed by James Daley, NWAJ director and active athlete, who believes Jamaica’s weightlifting future is bright.

“It’s incredible the amount of stuff we’ve done in six years,” Daley said. “Now we’re really starting to get some Jamaican youths at an age where we can build them up to being world-class talents and build up to the LA Olympics, which is the main goal, and even beyond that too,” he continued.

“We’ve got coaches who are qualified and they’ve managed to get athletes who are super young and have begun to develop them now already, so I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com