The centrality of sports in Vincentian society

Foyle has also given back to Vincentian society, family and friends, more materially and otherwise than any of the aforementioned recipients of the lofty diplomatic status.
The promise to continue the process of granting diplomatic passports to outstanding sports personnel has not yet materialized and one may hazard a guess that after this criticism we should not at all be surprised if it resumes.
More than this, the government may well have established a very dangerous precedent by the apparent way in which certain otherwise unacceptable conduct may have been allowed to pass by without appropriate sanction and, some may suggest, without the full weight of the law being brought to bear.
Perhaps we may appropriately lay blame for this intransigence squarely at the feet of the current political leadership for perhaps failing to adequately ensure that all of the recipients were briefed about what is expected of them at home and abroad.
Perhaps the political leadership simply failed to sufficiently impress upon the recipients that with great honour comes great responsibilities/great expectations and exemplary conduct.

Sophia et al
One must remain heartened by the outstanding performances of Sophia Young in the NCAA in the USA. For a second consecutive year she has grabbed the headlines in the USA I respect of College Basketball among women.
Garth Saunders, himself a former recipient of an athletics scholarship has obviously been sufficiently impressed to pen an interesting and informative piece in the media on the exploits of Sophia whom he has dubbed Queen.
Sophia has undoubtedly become the single most popular Vincentian in the international arena in the past four years, politicians notwithstanding.
The extensive reach of the US media, including the immensely popular and highly rated Sports Illustrated, have brought Sophia into the homes of the sports enthusiasts of the world and up close with the international community as no politician from this country has ever been able to do, and this while we at home pussyfoot about whether we should allow overseas Vincentians qualify for the top award of Sports Personality of the Year.
While Sophia blazes a trail for us all as a people we slap her in the face by seeming to suggest that our Sports Personality of the Year Award is limited to those Vincentians who come home and compete from home. Then we wonder why it is that so many of our top athletes stay away. They cannot in any way feel duly appreciated despite however many other ways we choose to recognize them.