Olympism

Totally ashamed and visibly embarrassed the Caribbean political leaders sitting in CARICOM have felt in incumbent upon them to salvage something in West Indies Cricket. This has come in the wake of the failed attempt at mediation by Shridath Ramphal.

It does appear that the leadership of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) lacks any sense of shame at the state of the game in the region and what it has done to the image of the region at the global level. It also does not appear that the WICB’s leadership even cares what happens to the game.

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When Basil ‘Bung’ Cato declared, ‘Soccer – The Game of the People’, he never intended it to be in any way caught up in the politics of the day. Instead, Bung’s intention was to ensure that we all come to a recognition of the popularity of the sport.

Since Bung delivered his popular phrase we have come to see the unparalleled growth of football in St Vincent and the Grenadines. No other sport has come even close to the popularity of this particular game.

What we saw at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex on Saturday last was a most crude display of the state of Vincentian football – a classic case of political football. It must have been a bitter-sweet experience for those who were honoured from the 1979 team. They must have sat in dismay at what had become of the game they had taken to the very top of the regional level.

Bung Cato himself would surely have felt embarrassed to have had himself in any way associated.

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This month sees the refocusing of national athletics in St Vincent and the Grenadines. This comes about as the governing body for the sport in the country, Team Athletics St Vincent and the Grenadines (TASVG) continues its ongoing evaluation of where it is in relation to its Project 2012, launched two years ago.

Project 2012

Project 2012 was officially launched here in 2007. The emphasis was on ensuring that by the time of the London Olympic Games this country would have produced a cadre of athletes in athletics capable of making it to the finals of the competition and perhaps claiming this country’s first Olympic medal.

The Project called for the commencement of work on the introduction of Kids Athletics for children aged 5 – 10 years and the expansion of the Right On Track Programme. The systematic training of more individuals as coaches to broaden the base of people working with athletes across the country was also an areas receiving much attention in the Project. It also spoke to better performances from our athletes and the attainment of higher positions, including mounting the awards podium at the regional and international levels. Read the rest of this entry »