Jamaica’s darling of Track and Field, Veronica Campbell-Brown has been appointed a UNESCO Champion for Sport. 

The Jamaican sprinter was appointed today (Tuesday) at the 35th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris.  The Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Olivia Grange, who nominated Campbell-Brown for the award, was in attendance. 

Veronica Campbell-Brown is the first woman from the Americas to be appointed a UNESCO Champion for Sport. 

Minister Grange said:

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  • “Jamaica is proud to have Veronica, the first female athlete from our region, receiving this prestigious award, in recognition of her outstanding talent, values, prowess and dedication in Track and Field.”

 

The Minister said she was confident that Mrs Campbell-Brown would be continue to be an excellent role model for the youth of the world. 

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  • “Over the years, we have watched, cheered and supported Veronica as she excelled on the track. Her victories have been our victories. She embodies the spirit, strength and stamina of the Jamaican woman. We are confident that Veronica will carry out her mission with the same discipline, courage, humility and tenacity for which she is known.”  
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    • “I want to engender in young female sportswomen and athletes in particular, the desire to use sports in their immediate communities and the wider international arena as a tool for peace and development.” 

      “This Jamaican stands ready to take on the mantle of a UNESCO Champion of Sport in the area of gender performance and equity.

    • “I am ready to embrace a platform that will allow little girls, whether in Nagasaki, Plovdiv or Kingston, to dream of being high achievers, of being acknowledged for their outstanding performance like the Christian Ronaldos, Tiger Woods’ and Usain Bolts of this world.” 

    Veronica Campbell-Brown has won gold at the World Youth Championships, World Junior Championships and at the World Championships at the senior level.  She is Jamaica’s most successful female Olympian with three gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal over three games. 

  The Double Olympic Champion at 200 metres will take on the mission of Gender Equality in Sports.  Accepting her appointment, Campbell-Brown said: