Jamaican athletes Kaliese Spencer-Carter, Beverly McDonald, and Chelsea Hammond-Ross are set to finally receive their Olympic medals during a reallocation ceremony at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has announced.
Ryan Foster, secretary-general and chief executive officer of the JOA, revealed the plans at the JOA Paris 2024 Olympic Games media launch at the Terra Nova Hotel. “The JOA is pleased to announce that, in partnership with the IOC (International Olympic Committee), we will be hosting a special medal reallocation ceremony on August 9, 2024, in Paris at Champions Park, which is near the epicenter of all track and field activities and will be specially arranged by the IOC,” said Foster.
“The venue will be arranged so that all medalists, their guests, national Olympic committees, and other specially invited officials will converge at Champions Park. The medals will be presented to the athletes by the IOC representatives along with the JOA representation.”
JOA will also host a celebration for the athletes and their families
Foster added that the JOA will also host a celebration for the athletes and their families following the medal ceremony to show appreciation for their sacrifices in pursuit of greatness and national representation.
Spencer-Carter officially became an Olympic medalist in March 2023 at the age of 35, more than a decade after the 2012 London Games. She was reallocated the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles due to the disqualification of Natalya Antyukh following the Russian doping scandal. On August 8, 2012, Spencer-Carter finished fourth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 53.66 seconds, behind Antyukh, who was later implicated in her second doping case in 2022.
The reallocation ceremony in Paris is set to be a momentous occasion, not only for Spencer-Carter but also for her fellow Jamaican athletes McDonald and Hammond-Ross, who have similarly waited years to receive their due recognition.
