Kingston, 10 August 2026 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has expressed profound sadness at the passing of George Soutar, the former Chairman of the Sports Development Foundation.

Mr Soutar passed away on Monday after an illness.

Minister Grange described Mr Soutar “as a great friend on whom I could always depend.”

According to Minister Grange, Mr Soutar was a true patriot whose “mission was to contribute to the building of the country he loved.”

Minister Grange said:
“Each time I asked George to chair a board or lead a committee, I knew that he would give his utmost to the task and that Jamaica would benefit tremendously from his efforts. Through his leadership at the Sports Development Foundation, we were able to improve our support of our sportsmen and sportswomen and increase access to quality sports facilities across the island.

I have been very proud to work with George in the Ministry, in my Central St Catherine constituency, and in the Jamaica Labour Party. We have benefited tremendously from his work and I am happy to have known him and to call him my friend.”

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