Towards London 2012

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National sports associations must take into consideration all aspects of the preparations required to be successful at the Games. Talented individuals must be identified and prepared through systematic coaching, provided with adequate diets and entered into  competitions on a regular basis; competitions that are of a standard that would allow for ongoing evaluation of the progression necessary to make a bold attempt at being elevated to podium status at the Olympics. Such preparation must also allow for access to regular medicals and access to adequate facilities well beyond just a synthetic track.

The preparation must involve access to sports psychology for analysis and motivation. Individual top level athletes must have no distractions and focus solely on their ultimate goal of an Olympic medal and all that accrues therefrom. All of this requires access to funding of a significant magnitude, without which none of the aforementioned is possible.

St Vincent and the Grenadines has competent leaders in sport but that is not the whole story. There are too many stumbling blocks along the way hindering progress.

Coaching

The St Vincent and the Grenadines National Olympic Committee has facilitated, through the support of Olympic Solidarity, the training and certification of literally hundreds of coaches in the Olympic sporting disciplines.

Where have these trained coaches gone, since they are not always involved in coaching?

Most of them are at home. They have their certificates displayed on their walls at home. They have achieved their goals – the acquisition of the certificate.