Jamaica
Jamaica | |
Continent | North America |
Population | 2,847,232 |
Registered players | 20 |
Referees | N/A |
Rinks | 0 |
National teams | Junior |
National federation | Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation |
IIHF since | May 18, 2012 |
IIHF ranking | N/A |
Top league | None |
Jamaica is a country in the Caribbean. Kingston is the capital and largest city.
History of hockey in Jamaica
The Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation was founded in late 2011, and the country joined the IIHF on May 18, 2012. The federation was founded by Edmond R. Phillipps, a talented young American player/coach of Jamaican descent, and the late G. Webster Smith, with the (unrealistic) goal of fielding a Jamaican National Team in the 2018 Olympics.
The head-coach of the national team, Graeme Townshend, the first Jamaican-born player to make it to the National Hockey League, stated in 2014 that he hoped to see Jamaica compete in the Olympics within the next eight to 20 years. He hosted a camp in Toronto that August with the hope of identifying North American players who would be eligible to play for the national team.[1]
There are no ice rinks in Jamaica currently, but the Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation U18 Exhibition Team – Team Jamaica – made its debut at the Weekend Hockey Tournament in Alliston, Ontario, in July 2015. The team went 3-0 and made it to the championship game before losing 4-3.[2]