The 10th staging of the FIRST® Global Robotics Olympics will take place in Incheon, South Korea, from October 7 to 10, bringing together young innovators from around the world. For the Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (USA) Inc. UJAA, the event also marks 10 years of sponsoring Jamaica’s team and supporting students as they compete on a global stage.
Jamaica will be represented by Team Jamaica Robotics at the FIRST® Global Challenge 2026, continuing the country’s growing presence in international youth robotics competition.
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Last October, Team Jamaica overcame significant travel delays caused by Hurricane Melissa and still made it to Panama to compete. After two days of alliance-based competition with teams from around the world, Team JA demonstrated courage, resilience, and skill, ultimately earning a third-place finish.
The local nine-member, co-ed delegation includes students, coaches, and a chaperone representing American International School of Kingston, Immaculate Conception High School, Knox College, St. Andrew High School for Girls, and Wolmer’s Boys School.
The coaching team is led by Marc-Anthony Eaton and Orville Daley of Jamaica College. They believe the selected team is strong, confident, and ready to represent Jamaica while upholding the FIRST® spirit of gracious professionalism.
As sponsors, UJAA continues to work toward providing Jamaica’s high school students with a unique opportunity to learn, compete, and represent the island internationally. Support from alumni members connected to the participating schools helps to make this opportunity possible for the team. However, financial support remains a challenge.
The tournament draws on the 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering identified by the National Academies of Engineering in the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. This year’s Incheon theme, “Igniting Innovation,” focuses on wildfire prevention, mitigation, and recovery.
UJAA President Donovan Wilson firmly believes that “ the organization’s commitment is rooted in the belief that this experience can be life-changing for students, giving them exposure to real-world challenges and the opportunity to help shape solutions for the future.”
