#BTColumn – Making a difference in sports

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Dennis DePeiza

The single and most outstanding performance in its history by Barbadian athletes at any International track and field event, comes at a time when the nation needed sometime to boost the spirits of its people, amidst the turbulent economic, social and political times that are being experienced.

The gold medal victory won by Sada Williams, the silver and the bronze medals won by Shane Brathwaite and Jonathan Jones respectively at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, make each of them deserving of national acclaim. These ambassadors have done their part in writing their names and that of Barbados on history’s page.

As a people who now celebrate, the hope is that when the euphoria dies down that Barbadians will take the time to reflect on where we go from here.

Looking back at the history of Barbados’ success at international track and field events, the records show that Jim Wedderburn led the way by gaining Barbados’ first medal at the Olympics in 1960. He was followed by Obadelle Thompson who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics. Barbados with its limited resources and facilities has continued to forge ahead and gain on the world stage. It has done this through the achievements of Andrea Blackett who won gold in the 400m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, and Shane Brathwaite who won gold in the 110 meters hurdles in 2007 Youth Championship in Athletics.

Looking at the history of events, it is evident that it took some forty years before Barbados broke the barrier that hindered it from reaching the medal podium. This came from the relentless efforts of coaches in the persons of the late
Frank Blackman, Anthony Lovell and Jerston Clarke.

Following in their footsteps, Ricky Carter in recent years, has come to the fore, though he is seemingly not being given the credit he deserves. Some would remark that these weren’t professional coaches, but the fact is that these were trained Physical Education Teachers who were employed in the education system of Barbados. They have discharged their coaching responsibility in a professional manner, which at the end of the day, brought results.

It is cannot be disputed that Barbados has talented athletes who have the ability to compete in all sporting disciplines. In the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, Barbados competed in a number of finals in several events including gymnastics. This tells the story that Barbados has the talent. Where athletes have access to quality coaching, the possibility of enhanced performances loom on the horizon. Barbados must work towards developing a complete package in order to ensure a higher level of success.

This package would include quality sports facilities, highly trained and experienced coaches and available financial resources to support the competition readiness of our sportsmen and women. Added to these elements, would be the strong support to be had from the people and government of the nation.

Many are inclined to ponder over what is it that Barbados is doing wrong in sports generally, which has caused it not to excel at the same pace as other Caribbean nations.

The problem may be the lack of a sustained commitment to the development of sports.

It is established that Barbados has the available athletic talent in many of the major sporting disciplines where there is international competition. A difference can be made to the performance of local athletes, where their preparation is advanced through ready access to quality training and competition sports facilities, highly qualified coaches and available financial resources.

As a nation that is deemed to be punching above its weight, its citizens ought not to be satisfied to boast of this, while at the same time it continues to struggle to provide a platform for the development of a pool of talented sportsmen and women. It is almost a shame to think that the vast majority of Barbadian track and field athletes who have made it on the world stage, have had to enter the United States College system, in order to benefit from the high-quality training and exposure to competition that is on offer.

Thanks to the Caribbean islands of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, who have cemented a place on the world stage in sports, some of our athletes have benefitted significantly from the training accommodation they offered.

Barbados has seemingly drop the ball, and it is about time that there is a move beyond the realm of paying lip service to the development of sports. A sports policy and development programme must become a priority. An overarching emphasis is to be placed on investments in sports and developing the business end of sports.

Some may justifiably argue that beside the interest placed in the sport of cricket, Barbados has failed its sportsmen. One remembers Ronald ‘Suki’ King, who as the World Draughts Champion, having to resort to walking the streets of Barbados, literally begging for sponsorship support. Where is the local endorsement programme to support our sporting heroes who are performing on the global stage? Why is the local private sector not playing a more significant role?

Over time it is evident that Barbados has dropped the ball. The nation cannot take pride in having our athletes struggling on their own in working to achieve success, while it waits for the moment to hail and celebrate them. The days of sportsmen travelling to a major sporting championship for the experience are long gone, and so are the days of seven days wonder. Several young and talented track and field athletes, for one reason or another, have fallen by the wayside. In this list, the names of Janelle Inniss, Wilan Louis, Mario Burke, Akela Jones, Andrew Hinds and Jessie King are but a few that immediately come to mind.

The stifling of the development of our track and field athletes has been aided by the fall off in the staging of high profile locally organised events, such as the Texaco Games and the Barbados Relay Fair. Today, the sport of cycling seems to be slowly losing its appeal. Basketball, hockey and volleyball are almost forgotten sports. Netball and swimming are but holding their own. Football is going no way fast and cricket is but surviving. Talk will not help to further sports development in Barbados, but for sure, action will.

Dennis DePeiza is a labour & employee relations consultant, Regional Management Services Inc. Visit our Website: www.regionalmanagement services.com