Top athletes including Williams toast of BOA awards

By Morissa Lindsay 

As several of Barbados’ outstanding male and female athletes were duly recognised for their outstanding performances, Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) President,
Sandra Osborne called on them to reflect on how sports can be an enabler within our society. 

The annual awards ceremony held last night at the Needhams Ballroom, Hilton Barbados Resort under the theme ‘Fuelling Passion’ was a night to remember for Barbados’ track stars – hurdler Shane Brathwaite named Senior Male Athlete of the Year and Sada Williams crowned Senior Female Athlete of the Year. 

In her address to the outstanding athletes that also included Junior Male and Female athletes of the year Jaiya Simmons (swimming) and Fynn Armstrong (Triathlon and Athletics), the BOA head said in the presence of the President, Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason and Minister of Sports, Charles Griffith that her organisation exists to serve the interest of this country’s athletes. 

“Sport is increasingly being acknowledged as one of the key pillars of socio-economic development. It is a unique tool that is at the service of humankind to achieve a better society. Many of the important issues facing our society today are issues that either affect Sport directly, or are issues to which Sport can contribute, thereby strengthening its role in society.

“And so, it is not surprising that the focus on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is equally relevant to Sport as it is to other areas of endeavour. My call tonight is for participants in Sport to reflect on how Sport can be an enabler for one, the achievement of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals designed to secure the future of our people and our planet,” Osborne said. 

During her speech, the BOA President touched on several areas including the need for educating young school children when it comes to anti-doping. The fact that we as a society have a greater role to play in gender equality and the empowerment of women in areas where they are under-represented in Sport and safeguarding those in Sport especially those who are vulnerable by virtue of the power dynamics in various sporting relationships. 

Not forgetting to thank IGT represented by General Manager for the Antilles Lotteries, Shelly-Ann Hee Chung for their generous support over the year, while acknowledging the presence of Michael Simmons, the first Secretary General of the BOA who was in attendance, Osborne had words of encouragement for national athletes and officials as they look ahead to 2023. 

“My simple message is that the Barbados sports community must think more deeply about the critical role of sports outside of the mere preparation for competition. So, that we can truly leverage the true transformative power of sports into the future,” she explained. 

Barbadian athletes can expect another busy year in 2023 with four motorsport games scheduled on the calendar. They are the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador with some events such as equestrian and hockey being hosted in the Dominican Republic. The Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, the Association of National Olympic Committee Beach Games in Bali and the Pan American Games in Santiago Chili. 

In his first ever address at the BOA awards, Minister Griffith pointed out that his Ministry is seeking to have a national Hall of Fame put in place for the athletes. He also mentioned that the national sports policy is still in the works and is scheduled to go back to Parliament sometime next year. 

“My team at the Ministry is on a crusade to ensure that we can have sports being played all over this country. Our national sports policy early next year will go to parliament to ensure that we have a road map for the journey that we are looking to go on. It is not there yet because we had to tweak some things to ensure that it is all inclusive, that no one will be left out in relation to that sports policy. 

“It is a plank that we will build on, the planks are there to take the sports forward to the next level and I encourage you to join us. Like I said it is not something we can do alone, my Prime Minister (Mia Mottley) constantly says many hands make light work and sports is a billion dollar industry. We are looking to ensure that on every single term, that we can cash in on that money,” Griffith said. 

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb