The recently concluded

While initially the football fans around the country seemed tentative about the success of the event this changed significantly as the competition wore on to the point where football authorities here could pat themselves on the back for capturing once more the enthusiasm for the sport that our people are known for.

Class

Unlike Cricket the sport of football here, like elsewhere, was always an attraction to the people from the lower social classes.

It must be remembered that cricket was brought to us in the region as the sport of gentlemen and at one time only the white people, colonisers and their successive generations were the only ones allowed to play the game.

In several Caribbean countries blacks were only allowed near the cricket arena to collect the balls when they were struck into the nearby bushes.

Football, on the other hand has been a most appealing sport and the members of the lower classes readily gravitated to the game. While cricket required that players don flannels and relatively expensive gear football could be played without shoes and with any form of clothing although the preference was shorts and t-shirts.

Over the years the sport of cricket has certainly undergone change in terms of the population that it attracts and many people from the lower classes have taken to the sport with much success. This is not to say that the sport has lost its image of being the game of gentlemen.

Football however remains what Basil ‘Bong’ Cato dubbed, The Game of the People. Many may recall that it was Cato who led the rallying cry, Soccer – The Game of the People, that eventually became the mantra for the sport for many years.

What we saw over the years has been the continued involvement of youths from all across the nation, cutting across class boundaries, entering the sport. Nonetheless people from the lower social classes dominate the sport here in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as indeed is the case in many countries around the world.

Opportunities

Many would recall the poverty-stricken nature of the origins of the world’s greatest craftsman in the sport, Edson Arantes do Nascimiento – the legendary Pele. His elevation to the top of the world in the sport of choice, football, opened the door for successive generations of Brazilian footballers to access lucrative contracts across the globe and rescue them and their families from the poverty that sought to stymie their development.

In the past few decades we have witnessed opportunities opened for footballers from the Caribbean with Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago being the most successful in accessing contracts largely in Europe but also in the USA.

In our case our players have not been as fortunate. While we have had Rodney ‘Chang’ Jack opening a gateway to Europe we were only able to get three players in Europe and two or three in the USA’s Major League Soccer. Marlon James is still in Malaysia having been there before along with Cornelius Huggins.

Some players, including Kendol ‘Ken I’ Velox, have been fortunate enough to play in the Pro league in Trinidad and Tobago.

For one reason or another we have been unable to access places abroad as frequently as some of our Caribbean neighbours. This is unfortunate since for decades this country has produced outstanding footballers, many with immense skills, who should have been exposed to international contracts. The achievements of the Vincentian teams of the period 1979 – 81 remain legendary but there are many who would suggest that there were players with great skill who happened to be playing at a time when other countries in the region also had their fair share of outstanding players.

Perhaps it was the location of Jack Warner in the FIFA that allowed him to assist players from his country in getting greater exposure. He must be credited with bringing teams to the region with greater frequency allowing the Caribbean players to match skills with their international counterparts.

It was perhaps unfortunate that St Vincent and the Grenadines did not have the wherewithal to be involved in such arrangements.

The inability, for many years, to access FIFA membership did not help the local situation in any way and congratulations must be given to Venold Coombs who, while serving as President of the organisation here, worked assiduously to gain FIFA membership for the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation.

Still, there are opportunities available and we must do much more to access them in the interest of facilitating advancement for our athletes as well as the ultimate development of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Hairoun Community Competition

For many years the football scene was dominated by teams form the broader Kingstown area. However there was never any doubt that talent in the sport abounded in several rural areas just as was the case with cricket.

The distractions of urban development may well have negatively impacted the city folk to the point where in many sports practised here the rural youths have come to prominence.

The recently concluded Hairoun Community Football Competition opened many eyes in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

For some time in the recent past there were many sceptics about the future of the sport in this country. Our poor performance in the FIFA World Cup Preliminaries seemed to have angered the once-loyal supporters of the sport in the country and many stayed away even when the games should have demanded their presence.

Thanks to the excitement generated in the Hairoun Community Competition we saw a return of patrons to the sort they love so very much.

That two rural teams, Barrouallie and Layou, were able to skilfully outmanoeuvre their opponents and take top honours in the competition tells a great deal about the relative shift in the sport development process.

The growth in attendance at the games as the competition developed was a most welcome sight for the football authorities here. It was an indication that the sport is certainly alive and well enough to return to attracting far more people in attendance at the local level than any other sport practised in this country.

Lovers of football in the country were able to see the immense potential of our athletes and also recognise the importance of a sound development strategy that is long-term in its focus, if we are to take our rightful place amongst the footballing nations of the world.

There is no shortage of talent in the sport here and what we have seen in the competition speaks volumes of what can be achieved if the talent is appropriately harnessed.

Congratulations are in order for the football authorities here on the successful hosting and completion of the Hairoun Community Football Competition.

Of course there were hitches along the way and valid criticisms have been levelled but the competition continued and ended with patrons feeling that the sport is still strong.

At the conclusion the victorious teams showed why they were able to get to that point.

The St Vincent Brewery has had a longstanding relationship with the local football fraternity and kudos is in order for their continued sponsorship of the sport. As a good corporate citizen commendations are in order.

Sport and community development

While many of the sports continue to focus perhaps all too heavily on the capital and its immediate environments the evidence seems to suggest that the people in the rural communities are still paying greater attention to sport where distractions remain limited by comparison.

Despite not being in possession of the best facilities and at times the best competition gear our rural youths spend more time at sport than their urban counterparts. This may well have to do with the fact that time spent on computers and cell phones is significantly less.

Of course our rural communities still possess stronger commitment to traditional values and a greater sense of community than is the case with their urban colleagues.

In our rural communities sport still has a place.

In the past it was common for the local Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) to advise sporting organisations that there was no place for sport in their project documentation since funding would not be allocated.

Now that the NGO fraternity has been exposed to the global shift that addresses health for all through regular practice of physical exercise things have changed. The problem is that many of the NGOs have no idea of how to engage in the paradigm shift and have been left behind.

For those knowledgeable about sport there has always been an important link between sport and community development. Here in the Caribbean and especially in St Vincent and the Grenadines we allowed ourselves to be blinded to this reality even though it stared us in the face.

In the context of a supposed Wellness Revolution there has not yet been appropriate recognition of this vital link between sport, recreation, community and national development.

It is an unfortunate reality that leadership is sadly lacking in this understanding at the governmental level and this filters down negatively impacting the broader sport development and broader national development processes.

What our footballers have been able to show is that they are in many respects community based.

Many do not yet grasp the fact that the Barcelona Football Club in Spain is in fact a representation of the aspirations of the people of that community who insist that there are Catalans and not Spaniards.

In St Vincent and the Grenadines the recently concluded Hairoun Community Football Championships have shown that Barrouallie and Layou are still strongly rooted in their respective communities perhaps more so than any other of the participating teams. Historically their communities have been highly supportive of their endeavours and follow them with immense pride.

In many respects therefore the victories were community victories and good reason for the respective populations to feel justly proud that they have been able to prove to the nation that their talent is good enough to rule.

This is not the first time

There has been much talk in this country about a shift in focus from what has been the norm for many years to sports tourism. The fact is that it has remained just that – talk.

For several years we have watched the crowds move around the country during the Easter weekend. On each occasion it seems to rekindle an interest in sports tourism only to wane in the traditional ‘nine days’ marvel of so many other things that attract our attention in this country.

Across the international community sport tourism has become one of the fastest growing industries, bringing significant revenue to the respective national economies. Unfortunately we here in St Vincent and the Grenadines continue to pay lip service to immense opportunities afforded by this industry. This fact gives the lie to any genuine commitment to national development.

Several years ago we were told that scores of investors were lining up just waiting on a change of government. These investors are yet to materialise.

We have the potential even now to realise the vast resources we have available to make good a venture into the world of sports tourism. Good examples abound and we could begin now to right the historical wrong in this particular aspect of our development.

Vera-Ann Brereton

During the tenure of Vera-Ann Brereton there was some discussion on sports tourism. She knew enough about the potential of this important sector to the economy of a country and readily cited examples of where this had taken place. She sought to bring attention to this aspect of the growth potential in many a country.

In her planning Ms Brereton placed on record her determination to establish a Sports Tourism Department and employ a Sports Tourism Officer in the Ministry of Tourism.

Unfortunately there was a change of government in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Vera-Ann Brereton’s contract was not renewed and with her departure the prospect of a Sports Tourism Department and Officer receded in rapid-fire time.

Rene Baptiste et al

After assuming office in 2001 the new administration first appointed Mike Browne as the Minister of Sport. Later we were told that while Mike Browne had Clayton Burgin as his colleague in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, it was the latter that had responsibility for sport.

For their tenure as ministers responsible for sport neither really made any major pronouncements on the potential that out country has where sports tourism is concerned.

Enter Rene Baptiste and initially sports tourism was not on the cards. She was responsible for tourism but recognised that her travels brought her into contact with countries in which sports tourism had long since been playing a major role in their overall development thrust.

After a few years we then heard mention being made once more about our interest in the potential resident in sport tourism. There was a seminar convened at the Peace Memorial Hall under Baptiste’s auspices and involving a leading Barbadian sports personality.

At the end of the day however nothing was done in respect of the promotion of sports tourism.

Then came Glen Beache, the first sport tourism minister under the new government to have had some sort of background in competitive sport though not at the international level. Once more we heard that sports tourism would be in focus.

Despite the talk nothing really happened during Glen Beache’s tenure as the minister with responsibility for tourism and sport that in any way advanced the cause of sports tourism.

For a brief period prior to the elections in 2010 we had Ces Mc Kie installed as a senator in government with responsibility for sport. His mantra was, With Sports We Can. This was clearly piggybacking on the Obama success story with Yes We Can.

Mc Kie’s background in sport would certainly have exposed him to sport’s immense potential and so it was easy for him to begin speaking proudly of what can be done with sport in terms of developing the nation.

Unfortunately and perhaps shocking even to himself once the elections of 2010 were concluded McKie was placed in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment. This was another setback for sports tourism in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

For the brief period that Stephenson was assigned to sport we had mention made said about sports tourism on occasion but noting was ever put in place to advance this important area of national development.

Recently we have had the re-entry of Ces Mc Kie in the Ministry of Sport and one can only hope that there will be a revitalisation of the interest in the potential of sports tourism for this country.

Whither the future

Sports Tourism Department

St Vincent and the Grenadines has recently created a Tourism Authority. The suggestion we wish to make here is that there is every reason for us to establish a Sports Tourism Department under the Tourism Authority.

The Sports Tourism Department would have to be appropriately staffed with competent and not politically biased personnel. Meritocracy must be the order of the day however difficult that may be to achieve.

No effort must be spared to ensure the establishment of a Sports Tourism Department that avoids political interference.

The Department must focus on what we have in terms of sports being practised, the stability of the respective national organisations for these sports. The staff must assess the sports tourism potential of each of the sports practised here and determine whether we need to construct facilities in order to meet international standards.

St Vincent and the Grenadines must position itself to become a major centre for sports tourism development in the Caribbean.

The new international airport would be a significant pillar in the development of a sports tourism thrust in our country.

Bequia and other Regattas

One must be very hopeful that in addressing the matter of sports tourism the new minister understands that our regattas are an important component.

Sailing is an expensive sport and attracts the wealthy around the world. The experience of many of our Caribbean neighbours in the field of sailing must be evaluated and serve as important examples of what is possible in economic terms.

While we are yet to get a firm grip on the vast potential for revenue from our regattas we can certainly engage in strategic planning to facilitate significant improvement in what is offered to the international sailing fraternity.

Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada have all proven that smallness does not hinder accessing the benefits to be derived from successful sailing events.

Tobago has shown that well-planned on-shore activities are as lucrative as the actual sailing.

This year’s regatta on Bequia saw a resurgence in some of the long-lost traditions in the on-shore activities. Bequians and visitors alike endorsed the return of these traditions and expressed the hope that the future would see greater emphasis being placed on this revival. It is important for Bequia even more than it is for the visitors. It is the revitalisation of the island’s culture.

One has only to review any copy of the Compass and get a brief appreciation for the expansive nature of the sailing industry. Such an exposure would readily encourage our authorities to take the time to review our approach to the annual regattas that we host in our beautiful country.

Over the past several months the Parliamentary Representative for the Northern Grenadines, Godwin Friday, has repeatedly lamented the challenges facing the yachting industry in Bequia. He has been highlighting the significant increases in acts of theft on yachts visiting that Grenadines island.

Despite his several reports in respect of the problems facing the sailing industry the response from the authorities has not been particularly encouraging. This poses a direct threat to the development of the industry and the annual Bequia Regatta.

It is an unfortunate reality that we tinker at the edges placing all too much effort in talking nonsense about an aspect of development that we neither understand, appreciate nor to which we commit adequate resources.

Football etc

While Ces Mc Kie has been quick to point to Jamaica’s success in athletics and the way in which that country has used Reggae and track and field athletics to gain international standing he must nonetheless recognise that football is far more popular than any other sport practised here.

It would be worth the while for the new Minister of Sport to spend time reviewing the sports practised in this country and begin the process of ranking them in some sort of priority order in respect of their contributions to development of the Vincentian economy.

Football has immense growth potential in an economic sense.

While it is true that sailing brings together the wealthy by a long way over the other sports practised here football brings people out more consistently as far as we are concerned.

The minister would do well to galvanise resources to assist football in gaining their own home and facilitate the mechanisms to become a major host of football teams from around the world.

We may even consider establishing an international schools football competition akin to what the Garfield Sobers schools cricket competition is about in neighbouring Barbados. We could even begin by hosting an annual Secondary and Primary Schools Football Champions competitions for the Windward Islands in December following the conclusion of the respective competitions in each of the islands. This can then be expanded to an OECS competition before going international.

The foregoing can be an investment in the long-term future of sport tourism.

Tennis has already shown that it is possible to host major events and with a sports tourism thrust that is properly planned we can do much more in this area.

Many countries have hosted Carifta Games and several other regional athletics championships once they acquired a stadium. If we were serious about sports tourism we would have already secured this facility especially since it could at once serve football and athletics.

The point being made here is that we have the sports and once we get the support by way of a sports tourism focus that is serious and not encumbered with partisan political baggage we could join the international community using sport as a vehicle for community and national development.

2012 is yet another

Many would again compare St Vincent and the Grenadines with others in the region in particular, anxious to point out by way of comparison the achievements of others versus those of our own athletes.

Often times, however little attention is paid to the circumstances under which this country attempts to prepare a representative team as compared to others, some of which are much smaller than our own.

One is yet to understand why it is that many of those anxious to engage in criticising the national team performances at many regional and international sporting events seem unwilling to research the realities that constrain this country at so many different levels.

Many fail to realise that there exists a gross disparity amongst the sports practise din this country. Some have their own facilities while others have none. Some can therefore train uninterruptedly throughout the entire year whole others are almost completely ignored for most of the year. Yet others are given access to facilities rather grudgingly.

One often gets the impression that at the very highest level in this country there is in reality very little interest in our athletes doing well in sports at the regional and international levels.

For some sports, success at the regional and international levels may well constitute an act of heroism more than anything else.

Squash

Congratulations are in order for the junior squash team that won the recently concluded OECS Squash competition.

Squash has been hard at work over the years and there is evidence that some progress is being made. Concern however does exist in respect of the performances at the broader Caribbean, continental and international competitions.

Even as we congratulate the successful squash team however we must acknowledge that among Vincentian sports this sports has much to boast about by way of privilege. The government bought the Cecil Cyrus Squash Complex from its original owner and gave the Squash Association the facilities to have and maintain as their own.

The National Lotteries Authority (NLA) owns the property and apart from the segment of the building allocated to Squash the organisation takes care of maintenance of the major part of the surroundings.

Squash therefor enjoys a very fortunate position amongst sporting bodies here in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Its athletes can train whenever they wish. They can readily seek to host regional competitions that give the association improved status amongst the membership of the international governing body for the sport.

Thus it is that the Squash Association here has been able to host sub regional and Caribbean Championships here with great local support and be very successful at it.

There may be reason enough now to broaden the coaching base of the organisation and determine a mechanism to bring the sport to the rural areas. There are obvious challenge sin doing so but we can all be creative.

Tennis

Thanks to the initiative of the Taiwanese at a time when the Charge d’Affairs had a very intensely passionate interest in the sport, the local tennis fraternity was handed their own home – the National Tennis Centre at Calliaqua.

Additionally, while the tennis court at the ‘Triangle’ at Richmond Hill remains the property of the NLA tennis has use of it for most of the year. Occasionally when there is a regional tournament the volleyball association gains access.

Like the squash association the tennis authorities in this country can afford to engage in training all year without interruption due to demand by others for use of the facility.

The tennis authorities here have enjoyed the support of the government, which added two courts to enable the hosting of the Americas Zone Group Four Davis Cup tournament here some years ago. Before that however, once the Taiwanese handed over the facility at Calliaqua the local associations was able to successfully bid for and host a Junior International Tennis Federation (ITF) Tournament for several consecutive years.

Surely the international standard facilities combined with the year-round training and frequency of competition facilitated a new generation of tennis players whose fortunes should easily be much better than is currently the case.

Tennis also enjoys the benefit of the Haddon courts now managed by Grant Connell under his Grassroots label. This initiative continues to bring significantly large numbers of youngsters from all social groupings across the country into the sport, offering them a well-maintained facility on which to train and compete throughout the year.

There is also the Kingstown court that is available for training throughout the year.

The National Olympic Committee continues to provide training for coaches in Tennis none of whom have committed to the organisation’s Grassroots Talent Identification Programme (GTIP) to take the sport, free, to youngsters across the nation at least one day per week for a minimum of three hours. Such a programme would unearth the immense talent possessed by the nation’s youth and bring to the fore many more athletes who can at once lift their game, the sport and the image of St Vincent and the Grenadines in the global sports arena.

Netball

The netball fraternity fought for and procured its won home at New Montrose thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Gloria Ballantyne and the Prime Foundation for Sports and a few local organisations including the National Olympic Committee. This facility is its home but unfortunately remains limited in terms of its satisfaction of international standards for the sport as per the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA).

Despite its limitations however the National Netball Centre facilitates year-round training and the hosting of a variety of competitions at the local level without the interruptions created by other activities. It is the sport’s home.

At the Arnos Vale Sports Complex it is possible to have four courts for use by the netball fraternity when hosting competitions. They may have access to one throughout the year.

Netballers do have access to several hard courts around St Vincent and the Grenadines, access to which necessitates competition with a variety of other activities including basketball, small-gal football, cricket and several types of cultural events. The Arnos Vale Sports Complex hard courts fall into this category.

Nonetheless we can still speak of netball having a home that many other sports do not have.

Cricket’s privileges

Of all sports practised in St Vincent and the Grenadines cricket enjoys the greatest privilege.

Perhaps this has to do with the fact that it was once the nation’s most popular sport; a position that has changed over the past several decades.

Perhaps too its occasional hosting of an international match or set of matches that attracts large numbers to Arnos Vale can explain the sport’s privileged position. It is now clear that the nation’s authorities are taken in by the seeming accompanying euphoria.

While Arnos Vale is the nation’s premier facility and the cricket association does not own any the fact remains that the sport enjoys the benefit of primary access to every playing field in the country with the sole exception of the Victoria Park which is under the NLA.

The fact that cricket is no longer the nation’s most popular sport has not changed the foregoing reality.

There is however no commensurate development taking place in the sport that has lifted our players in sufficient numbers to the top of the game beyond the sub regional level in the past decade. This has not yet hit home with the authorities of sport in the country.

Olympic Qualifiers/Team

There were Olympic qualifiers for football, basketball, boxing, table tennis, taekwondo, cycling and volleyball.  Aquatics (which includes swimming) and athletics qualify on the basis of standards, failing which they are each allowed participants at the Olympics.

In the case of swimming and athletics the norm was that each association would be allowed one male and one female participant along with two officials regardless of standards.

The international governing body for aquatics has since insisted that the potential participants must have attended and competed at its World Championships in the year preceding the Olympics. In our case that leaves us with one male competitor.

Athletes in track and field have until 30 June 2012 to make the standards set by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).  The local association still has the option of sending one male and one female athlete to the Games once the NOC approves.

Swimming in St Vincent and the Grenadines has recently acquired its own pool but it is well short of what obtains at the international level. The NOC has been providing assistance to the lone participant to the London Olympics to enable him and his coach to benefit from more frequent competition ahead of the Games.

Following the conclusion of his examinations here he and the coach would travel to Bath, England, to train in the weeks leading up to the Games. This training cannot be had here.

In the case of athletics while there should be more home-based athletes seeking to meet the qualifying standards the lack of adequate facilities, compounded by the inaccessibility of Arnos Vale playing field between 1 November 2011 and 21 March 2012, have not given them much of a chance. This gives the overseas-based athletes an unfair advantage in terms of making the team to the Games if the country is to even look reasonable.

In contrast, St Kitts and Nevis, with a significantly smaller population is the lone Caribbean country where an athletics track of international standard is available to track and field athletes alone to train and compete all year.

Despite the damage wrought to the infrastructure in Grenada by hurricane Ivan in the latter part of 2004 the Mondo synthetic track is still in good enough condition for the athletes to engage in year-round training and competition.

Barbados, where the national stadium is in need of a new track, possesses enough of a synthetic surface to allow for training and competition of a much higher standard than we here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

There is far too much talk and unnecessary promises by our politicians who play games with the sporting youths of this country.

The distinctive bias of the National Sports Council towards cricket remains a major humbug to the development of sports in this country. This is unlikely to change for years to come.

Until such time as athletics, football, table tennis, volleyball, basketball and taekwondo get their own home these sports are unlikely to offer home-based athletes a level playing field relative to their counterparts across the Caribbean whose progress is often cited by our harsh sports analysts and enthusiasts.

Politicians must desist from making promises they cannot keep and instead facilitate genuine objective analysis of the problems and their root causes in order to systematically facilitate change for the better.

Sport is an important vehicle for community development – a truism we are yet to grasp. Sport is a great national development tool.

If only we can put in place those capable of understanding the invaluable role of sport in national development we would be much better placed in participating at the regional and international levels.

In the recent past

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.

What to bid for?

Each national sports association is part of a broader international family. There are also regional components to this family.

Sports associations at the regional and international level have a variety of activities that can be hosted in the country of any of their members, should adequate facilities exist. These activities include Executive meetings of the regional and international bodies, specialised workshops/seminars (athletes, coaches, technical officials and administrators), specific anniversary celebrations and of course, competitions for different categories of athletes.

Why bid?

National governing bodies for sports often seize the opportunity to bid to host some of the activities of their regional and international federations for a variety of reasons.

Promotion of the country

Some seek to host activities because it brings immediate attention to the country on which they are being held. The fact that representative of other countries are attending an activity here, for example, would mean that they would first inform their respective country media of their involvement here. Our local media would also be involved in promoting the activity and inform the regional and international media in the process.

Participants may become involved in promoting the activity and the country hosting it through the social media networks.

An example of how the promotion takes place was our recent hosting of the three One-Day Internationals (ODI). Lovers of cricket around the world received live images of St Vincent and the Grenadines and our people. Add to this the word=of-mouth promotion we would receive from the Australians and visitors from other countries who were here to witness the matches and move around the country.

Infrastructure

Others bid because they wish to persuade the government to finally provide the infrastructure required by their respective organisations if they are to make progress consistent with the established regional and international standards.

This was the focus of the local Cricket authorities in bidding to host the ‘goat cook’ matches of the Cricket World Cup in 2007. It was an opportunity to get the facilities at Arnos Vale the much-needed lift to bring them in line with modern trends even around the Caribbean.

This was again the purpose for seeking to host the recent three ODIs here.

Tennis got its first four courts by dint of the national association’s desire to host regional activities. However, once it recognised that more courts were needed it bid to host the Americas Zone Group 4 Davis Cup tournament. The government quickly provided the additional courts as required by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Boosting the economy

Another factor involved in bidding to host regional and international events relate directly to economic considerations – the amount of money that the visitors would spend while in the host country. This is sports tourism.

A good example is the recent hosting of the Commonwealth Games Federation’s (CGF) and Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) annual General Assemblies in St Kitts and Nevis in November 2011.

The National Olympic Committee/Commonwealth Games Association procured the government’s support and submitted a bid to host the events as far back as 2009 leaving them two years to get themselves adequately prepared.

Some participants came early and left late, spending thousands of dollars in the process. All told, representatives from seventy one countries trekked into St Kitts and Nevis for a minimum of three days. There were more than 500 visitors. Several participants brought their spouses with them.

Hambantota of Sri Lanka and the Gold Coast of Queensland Australia were bidding to host the Commonwealth Games of 2018 and brought large contingents. Hambantota alone brought an entourage of 160 persons while Australia had 50.

The two bidding cities hosted their respective booths at the Marriott hotel, venue of the CGF Assemblies and organised several activities while there that necessitated the employment of scores of Kittitians for the period.

While in St Kitts and Nevis several of the participants would have undertaken tours and engaged in shopping.

In the final analysis it is estimated that more that $1.5m USD were generated over the short period.

Additionally, there is the fact that several of the participants may have been sufficiently enthused to want to return with family and friends to spend a vacation in the twin-island Federation.

Representation

Another reason for some organisations bidding to host regional and international sports event has to do with the possibilities offered on such occasions to get elected to positions on these bodies.

The hosting of regional and international events allows the participants to gain greater insight into the administrative capabilities of the leadership of the host organisation. In cases where the activities being hosted involve election of officers there is always a tendency for the membership of the regional and international organisations to show their appreciation for the tremendous work involved to elect at least one person from the host nation desirous of getting onto the executive committee or other arm of the regional or international organisation.

When St Vincent and the Grenadines hosted the Congress of the Caribbean basketball fraternity the local body gained two positions on the regional organisation, one of which was the position of General Secretary. Sabrina Mitchell was elected to this position and has been making major headway at the continental level. She is a well-respected and hard-working representative of this country at the regional and international levels.

What is needed to bid?

There are many factors that would facilitate the success of a bid. We draw attention to some of them here.

Interest

The national sports organisation must have an interest in the sport enough to be fully involved in the activities of its regional and international activities. No regional and /or international sports organisation would care much for a national association that has not been participating in its several activities over the years. There has to be a record of participation.

Government’s pledge of support

The broad spectrum attendant to hosting an activity of a regional and/or international nature is such that the government of the sports association desirous of bidding to host it must provide a written document declaring its support for the organisation’s bid.

This is necessary since regardless of what the organisation may wish to think there are several areas where success is tied to government’s involvement and support.

In some instances visas may be required. Often times visitors and provided easy access to the country than would otherwise be the case. This was the case when the CARICOM leaders collectively agreed an Immigration stamp that allowed visitors to the Cricket World Cup in 2007 access throughout member States for the period of the event. They enjoyed hassle-free status that to this day the average individual citizen of CARICOM member Stats are yet to enjoy.

Similarly, the government tends to offer a much more relaxed Customs experience for participants in these regional and international activities when hosted.

The government often facilitates having the participants met at the airport and offered a warm VIP welcome to the host country.

The government is often requested to host some sort of reception for the participants.

In some cases departure taxes are waived.

Facilities

National sports associations desirous of hosting regional and international activities must ensure that there are adequate facilities to do so. This is the reason that Arnos Vale had to receive the extensive and expensive overhaul between 2005 and 2007. The recent expenditures – $250,000 – were necessitated more by inadequate maintenance than anything else.

Facilities include adequate accommodation of a certain level/status, easy communications, comfortable and efficient transportation, competent and courteous liaison officers, a most efficient secretariat, easy access to tours, shopping and banks.

Above all the people of the host nation must be sensitised to the activity being hosted enough to play their part in showing the visitors that while a single association may have been afforded the right to host the event the entire nation regards itself as being directly involved.

All too often national sports associations hosting events see the population as only important to procuring tickets. They forget that the visitors encounter the population in several different ways and garner impressions of the entire society in the process.

Conclusion

Bidding to host an event requires great attention and cannot be taken lightly.

National sports associations need to come together to fashion a strategy that would involve the deliberate preparation of the national sports fraternity to develop a cadre with the requisite education, training and competencies to facilitate our venture into the world of sports tourism.

The successes we have attained thus far is reflective of individual efforts and hit or miss strategies. We must do much better than that.

The process of preparation must begin now.

Saturday 21 April 2012

There are many who still hold the view that sport has nothing to do with our national development. This is unfortunate.

One would hope that this time around Vincentians who utilise the services of our financial institutions would seize the opportunity to witness the management, staff and family thoroughly enjoy themselves together.

History

12 years ago Team Athletics St Vincent and the Grenadines introduced the idea of an Inter Bank Sports Day in St Vincent and the Grenadines. While the idea was new to St Vincent and the Grenadines for the most part it was not new.

The Royal Bank of Canada had introduced an annual sports day for its branches in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and later when the institution had changed to the Caribbean Banking Corporation the sports day was extended to include branches from across the region.

Trinidad and Tobago had for many years held an annual Inter Bank Sports Day bringing together all of these financial institutions at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

TASVG started the Inter Bank Sports Day and then changed it into the Inter Bank & Family Sports day to what is now the Inter Financial Institutions and Family Sports Day. The change has been most welcomed by all involved.

The intention is merely to facilitate joyful engagement of this important sector of the Vincentian society through sport.

In the Olympic Movement we speak much about the values attendant to the concept of Olympism – friendship, cooperation, unity. The Inter Financial Institutions Sports and Family Day is intended to satisfy these important aspects of participation in sport.

Concept

The concept of an Inter Bank or Inter Financial Institutions Sports and Family Day really addresses several important issues in our society.

In the first instance there is the all-important aspect of facilitating a day together engaged in fun-filled friendly competition together for the management and staff of each of the institutions involved.

While it is true that the management and staff are together in their near-frozen environments five days a week they rarely get the opportunity to relax with each other in a manner that allows for the sharing of themselves with each other that is so important for the work environment.

Internationally some institutions take the entire management and staff on a vacation where they engage in a series of activities of a sporting and/or recreational nature intended ultimately to facilitate bonding amongst the fraternity and a growing recognition of their interdependence and its importance to their very survival and continued success as an institution in the world of enterprise competition.

The Sports Day in St Vincent and the Grenadines offers the management and staff the opportunity to collaborate in a relaxed atmosphere for their collective success.

It is common for people working in the same institution, whether large or small, to stay within their won corners and not allow themselves to become fully integrated into the institution. This is not always in the very best interest of the institution that thrives on the development and sustainability of its own corporate culture.

The Sorts and Family Day, in brining management and staff together, facilitates the combination of the talent of people within the organisation that may never have occurred in the normal course of its operations in serving the Vincentian public.

Individuals team up to compete in events that require teamwork without the slightest knowledge, necessarily, of the sporting capabilities of each other.

Others participate in activities simply to ensure that their particular institution garners a point that adds to its overall total.

Yet other participate because they have never done it before and are keen to be a part of something in which no one necessarily bears a grudge whether they end up in first or last place. Participation becomes an end in itself for many of the individuals as well as their institutions.

While obviously some would wish to win medals and trophies the important feature of the exercise is the conviviality that the management and staff share on the occasion.

The annual Inter Financial Sports and Family Day affords each member of staff and management an important opportunity to build the interpersonal relations that they require for the long term success and viability of the institution.

It is sometime surprising to find that some amongst the management and staff possess sporting talent that was neither recognised nor valued in their earlier years.

The broader family

The Inter Financial Institutions Family and Sports Day offers opportunities to the management and staff of the participating institutions to have their family members engage in the competition with them. This is very important as it allows for an extended family network that can only add value to the respective institutions.

Over the years of the Sports Day it has become a very familiar sight to see the children of the management and staff enjoy themselves as they participate in events put on for them during the day.

While the respective institutions do not benefit from any points for events won by their children the experience proves more than enough for the management and staff.

There is little doubt that much more needs to be done to really enhance this aspect of the Sports Day.

Sport is a great vehicle for bringing people together and works wonders in respect of sharing. By involving the family members of the management and staff there is an important sense of togetherness and unity of purpose that emerges that is invaluable to the advancement of the participating institutions in their particular sphere in Vincentian society.

Inter Institutional relations

Another important feature of the Sports and Family Day is the inter-institution relations that are strengthened.

We are aware of the formal inter-institutional relations that are necessitated by their involvement in the financial sector of the Vincentian economy. It is also very important that we use sport as a vehicle to forge greater relations between all members of management and staff of the respective institutions.

For St Vincent and the Grenadines more generally, it seems important that we facilitate collaboration and cooperation on as many fronts as possible.

We often underplay the immense contributions that sport can play in the harmonising of the efforts of our people and the institutions to which they belong and work. This annual Sports and Family Day affords an opportunity to enhance the relations of the people within the institutions even though as is the case on the field and so too in the financial sector they often engage in some sort of rivalry. These rivalries must never be allowed to facilitate neglect of each other as Vincentians living and working to forge a harmonious nation.

Participation

Over the past several years participation in the annual Inter Financial Institutions Sports and Family Day has been fluctuating. There have also been issues with how far the extension of participation can go.

Now there is a more systematic and progressive approach to the organisation of the event. Each of the participating institutions has a representative on the Organising Committee. This latter institution determines all aspects of the organisation of the event, inclusive of the budget.

No national athlete except those working at the participating institutions can participate.

This year’s event should yield enhanced participation as well as improved performances.

Other aspects

As has happened previously there would be face painting of children as well as a slew of events to occupy the children while the adults get some rest between events.

Commercial houses in St Vincent and the Grenadines with sport products have been encouraged to offer promotional items during the Inter Financial Institutions Sports and Family Day.

As always the respective participating institutions would cater to the needs of their members, family and friends with their array of meals and beverages, all intended to create an atmosphere of fun and togetherness.

It is fitting that the event always concludes with the Tug-O-War. While there is always a winner, this latter event brings together everyone eager to show that in the final analysis the real winner is sport and social harmony.