Olympism

In the recent past newly appointed Minister of Sport, Cecil Mc Kie, has addressed among other things the need for government to be approached by national sports associations before seeking to host regional and international events here.

The suggestion is not at all new and has been discussed on many occasions and forms part of the existing national sports policy of this country. The problem has to do with the government’s own failure to adequately implement this aspect of the policy as is the case with so many other aspects of it.

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In the recent past there has been talk emanating from the Ministry of Sport and the National Sports Council regarding the reactivation of the National Sports Assembly here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The decision to reactivate the Assembly may well be a good idea in and of itself. Getting it to work is literally a horse of a different colour.

Origins

The idea of establishing a National Sports Assembly (NSA) arose when discussions were taking place on the creation of a National Sports Council (NSC).
The National Sports Council Act No. 9 of 1988 established the organization as the body responsible for the administration of all sports facilities belonging to the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines excluding the Victoria Park. The latter was omitted because it was already under the ambit of the Kingstown Town Board and was seen as the nation’s premier outdoor entertainment centre in addition to being a sports facility. Indeed the bulk of income at the Victoria Park came from shows, inclusive of carnival, held there during the year. Often times the entertainers gained precedence over sporting organisations requesting the same date to host activities there. Read the rest of this entry »

On Saturday last Team Athletics St Vincent and the Grenadines hosted its annual Relay Classic at the Grammar School Playing Field. There was absolutely no effort made by those responsible for the playing fields in this country to have the facility prepared for the kind of competition that this event has generated over the past few years. It was in stark contrast however to the attention paid to the Arnos Vale Playing Field in preparation for the upcoming One Day International (ODI) Cricket Series pitting the West Indies against Australia.

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On Saturday 7 January Team Athletics St Vincent and the Grenadines hosted its annual Awards Ceremony for achievements in 2011. The Ceremony came one month late but was nonetheless an important occasion for the development of the sport in this country.

This week we reproduce as our weekly Column my entire presentation as the President of the organisation.

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