Sports boost . . . Region not taking athletics seriously

Although the Caribbean has done well on the international sporting stage and continues to do so, Heads of governments in the region have not truly bought into the benefits of sports and the positive impact it can have on our societies.

Those were the views expressed by distinguished Jamaican sports administrator, Dr Michael Fennell, during his featured address at the 2019 Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) and the Barbados Lottery Dinner and Awards Ceremony.

Held last night at Needhams Ballroom, Hilton Barbados Resort with Governor General Dame Sandra Mason and BOA president Sandra Osborne in attendance, Barbados’ first Pan American Games gold medalist and outstanding 110M hurdler Shane Brathwaite ran away with the Senior Male Athlete of the Year award for the third consecutive year while cyclist Amber Joseph was named Senior Female Athlete of the Year.

On a night when the 1959 West Indies sports team was recognised for their participation at the Pan American Games in Chicago – of which Fennell was part of as a water polo player – he chided the powers that be in the region for remaining blind to the benefits of sports.

The former president of the Jamaica Olympic Association contended that sports discussions should be given priority during Heads of governments meetings.

He maintained that it was through sports that the West Indies had become the brand it is today.

Insisting that the days when sports was seen as a “play thing” are long gone, Dr Fennell said he is concerned that the Caribbean had not yet recognised the power of sports.

“When you look at the status of sports in the Caribbean and what we are doing about the development of sports, I am very concerned. I am concerned because although we have done well and continue to do well, it is almost by accident because we have not truly invested in sports in the Caribbean. And I also want to draw the attention of the governments of the Caribbean for ignoring sports and for the powerful force that it represents in our societies.

“I invite our governments to rethink their position on what they are doing for sports. The other day I asked the question, ‘What is the status of sports on the agenda of CARICOM’? There is a sports desk at the CARICOM headquarters in Guyana and I don’t even know if anybody exists by that desk. We have not heard anything, and the Heads of government need to be encouraged when they have their meetings that sports be on the agenda. That is what has made the West Indies a brand name to be recognised all over the world,” Dr Fennell said.

Using a famous quote by Winston Churchill, ‘A nation that forgets its past has no future’, Dr Fennell encouraged athletes and sports administrators not to forget the past and to raise the bar as they seek to do better going forward in sports.

“In order for us to improve, sports tourism is a must and investment is required,” said the former chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation for close a decade.

He said while Caribbean people were excellent at celebrations when somebody wins gold or breaks a record, that same energy was missing in trying to build or develop sports from the grassroot level.

“I say this in the context that we are celebrating the past [1959], but the past is the past and who knows what the future will bring… Every country in the world that I have visited, they are aggressively through the state investing heavily in sports and physical recommission. We who are satisfied with what we have done, who bask in the glory of our people who have achieved great things need to see what is the legacy we are leaving. That will ensure that we will improve from year to year as we look ahead,” Dr Fennell said.

“Let me remind you that sports have been accepted, this is no longer a debate. Sports has been accepted as one of the most powerful tools in social development. It cannot be ignored for what it has to offer to national development. Sports and its potential for contributing to national development have been acknowledged at the highest levels throughout the world, especially at the United Nations where they have adopted resolutions in conjunction with the international committee towards this end.

“This contribution embraces the role of sporting education and health, and with health wellness, socialisation and the economy especially in sports tourism. And when you think of our Caribbean islands and our Caribbean territories, sports tourism is a must.

Dr Fennell added: “But it doesn’t happen without investment and when you are looking for what investments are being made in the infrastructure for sports tourism and other sports and physical education activities it is very minimal. In terms of these investment, programmes and the development of the skills that are necessary, the human factor, the high level of obesity around the world and training of young and old to move away from physical activities, especially the pursuant of their digital activities and their digital experiences all presents major challenges for the development of sports.”

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb