Elite athletes return home to promises of a new stadium

By Morissa Lindsay

As Barbados’ 400m track stars Sada Williams and Jonathan Jones along with cyclist Amber Joseph were today celebrated for their performances on the international stage, they were promised a new National Stadium if all goes according to plan.

That however remains tentative according to the Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, who said during a press conference at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex that if all goes well in 2023 Barbados should break ground for a new National Stadium.

“We are expecting that in 2023 if all things go according to plan you should see us breaking ground for a new Stadium. So, that is if all goes according to plan. In relation to our athletes I really want to congratulate you on what you did in terms of your position on the podium,” Griffith said.

After the motorcade which travelled the southern area of the island carrying the elite athletes, and concluded at the Gymnasium, Griffith reiterated that Government is aware that they need to have a new national stadium and given the urgency of the matter Cabinet has granted approval to have a consultant visit Barbados on September 21st to indicate how soon a stadium could be constructed.

Jonathan Jones with his grandmother Ruth Shield as she welcomed him home with a hug.

In addition, the Minister also revealed that a new 400m track is on island and will be laid on the North Western side of the Wildey Gymnasium. A pilot project is also in the works with a SAT programme that would afford more of Barbados’ national athletes with scholarship opportunities in partnership with universities in Canada.

“Last week I had a meeting with 12 Universities out of Canada with the understanding that hopefully by September next year we could have some scholarships that are dedicated to athletes,” he added.

Griffith said that Government is doing all in its power for the development of sports and promised that in a short time they will look to restructure the National Sports Council. “If we are the developmental organization and it is the one for drive at the grassroots level, then we need to look in a different direction as it relates to how we deliver our services. Shortly that would happen in the sense that we will restructure in a way that we can have the most impact at the elite level.”

Unfortunately, Shane Brathwaite was unable to be on island but Williams, Jones and Joseph were all deservingly recognized for their eye-catching performances this year at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The other officials present were President of the Barbados Olympic Association, Sandra Osborne, Director of the National Sports Council, Neil Murrell, and Permanent Secretary in the Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Yolande Howard.

During her remarks Osborne said her organization was pleased to be associated with the event that celebrated the hard work, dedication, discipline and the resilience of the national athletes. She thanked the Government for recognizing the excellence of the athletes as well.

This year the BOA has doubled its direct funding for athletes to $1.475 million with the allocation weighted heavily in favour of the top 12 Road to Paris 2024 athletes, Osborne revealed, while pointing out that this would not have been possible without the continuously generous support of the Barbados Lottery and International Game Technology (IGT).

Based on such increased funding, Osborne said she believes it will improve the athlete’s chances but acknowledged that it takes a lot more than that to produce medallists.

Therefore, in her capacity as BOA President, Osborne called on other stakeholders to play their part. “As we celebrate the achievements of these athletes, our call is to the wider stakeholders; government, sponsors and donors to work with us to support our athletes’ journey to Paris in the funding programme we call Road to Paris 2024.

“This journey includes the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games 2023, all stepping stones to Paris 2024. We believe that we can do so much as a country if we focus our collective effort on working together in support of these fine athletes, not just at the end but at the beginning and throughout the journey,” she said.

Osborne also recognized the tremendous efforts from athletes this year in other sporting disciplines such as judo, squash and motor sports which have also placed Barbados on the global map. There were also six silver medals won at the recently concluded inaugural Caribbean Games with five silver medals from swimming, track and field and netball and another bronze in track. morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb