Jamaica’s U-20 Ice Hockey players recently participated in the 2016 Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation Evaluation Camp in Toronto, Canada. The team compromises mainly Canadians of Jamaican descent.
The Evaluation Camp is part of the process in selecting the National Team for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation (JOIHF), the governing organization for the competitive team of Jamaican ice hockey players to participate in the Winter Olympics, has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 2012. The JOIHF has been persistently seeking sponsorship.
The organisation offers players two types of memberships: a Participant Membership and an Exhibition Participant membership. The Participant Member is required to be a legal resident of Jamaica while an Exhibition Participant Member is required to be of Jamaican descent.
Jamaica made ice hockey history as the first Caribbean nation to become associate members of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). There’s no doubt that Jamaicans will skate their way to an Olympic Games in the 2022 Olympics.
The Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation encourages supporters to “Spread the word, stay in the loop, support these young men on this journey of a lifetime!” The coaching staff includes Head Coach, Graeme Townshend, the first Jamaican-born retired National Hockey League forward and Cyril Bollers.
Coach Bollers breaks it down during Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation Evaluation Camp.
JOIHF has expressed that “Teachers, coaches, mentors, hockey enthusiasts, athletes and artists, know that Toronto is a hub of (Jamaican ancestry) hockey talent!”