DAPHNE, Ala. — Officials from the University of Technology, Jamaica, or UTech, were on the campus of the United States Sports Academy Sept. 8-9 to sign an agreement to develop the Caribbean School of Sports Science.

UTech is thought to be the primary university for elite Jamaican athletes, according to an academy spokesperson. Twelve UTech athletes participated in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, winning nine medals. Usain Bolt, the current world record holder in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, is a UTech athlete, as is star sprinter Asafa Powell and women’s Olympic champion Shelly Ann Fraser. UTech athletes have helped produce 80 percent of Jamaica’s Olympic medal winners in recent years. More than 20 UTech athletes were in the 2008 International Association of Athletics Federations rankings.

The academy will assist UTech in the development of a Bachelor of Sport Science program. Academy President and CEO Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich and UTech’s president, Professor Errol Morrison, signed the protocol during a visit on Sept. 8. Attending from UTech with Morrison were Director of Sport Anthony Davis, Faculty of Science and Sport Dr. Colin Gyles, and Curriculum Consultant Dr. Neville Graham. The program is scheduled to begin January 2010.