Top sports athletes celebrated by NSC

The crème de la crème of the sporting community gathered at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex for the 39^th staging of the National Sports Council Awards on Friday evening.

Athletes from a range of disciplines were recognized for their dedication to achieving sporting excellence.

After a phenomenal year on the track, star athlete Sada Williams received the much-deserved nod for the coveted Minister’s Award and the National Sports Personality Award for 2023. She won an award .

Esther Maynard was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her committed service in the athletic community. Maynard said, “You would have heard of my many exploits, but I did not achieve any of them on my own, without the support and assistance from literally hundreds of people in Barbados and throughout the world athletic body , not only individuals but the various associations that allowed me to  grow and develop and have the experiences that I have had over the last 59 years.”

Physically dwarfed onstage by his peers in the Junior Outstanding Sportsperson (Male) category, diminutive golfer Ashton O’Kola emerged triumphant. Chess phenom Hannah Wilson was adjudged Junior Outstanding Sportsperson (Female). Cricketers Hayley Mattews and Shai Hope stood out in their respective categories, winning that award in the senior division. Claiming the school awards were St Gabriel’s School and Harrison College.

The Wesley Worrell Award was presented to table tennis player Chad Doughty.Signia Finance and the Barbados Bottling Company received the Sponsors Award for their continued support. Well-known sports journalist Kenmore Bynoe secured the Media Award.

In the Team Award category, the Barbados Women’s Squash Team reigned supreme. They were represented by Meagan Best and Amanda Haywood who accepted the accolade. Emerging Athlete awardees were Desean Boyce in athletics and rising tennis star Hannah Chambers. Kofi Hinds received the Alvin Burgess Award for Sports Administrator, recognizing his excellent work in the hockey arena. The Coach of the Year title went to Jesse King in athletics.

Youth Awards were distributed to Rejada Hinds, Scott Galbraith, Shakobi Gittens, Sarama James, Zachary Maynard, Laila McIntyre, and Chaz Reifer-Belle. Special awards were given to Paul Bernstein, Dorian Best, Michelle Elliot, Roberta Foster, and Akeem Rudder.

Chairman of the National Sports Council Macdonald Fingall  in his presentation recognized staff members of the organisation who have contributed heavily towards its success. Among them were Floyd Newsam (Groundsman of the Year), Adrian Donovan, Sheron Phillips-Cadogan, Sandra Layne, David Oxley, Mavis Smith, and Ryan Toppin.

In acknowledgment of the year of youth, performance excellence was celebrated with stellar performances by vocalists The Mighty Bit Bit, Skyy Dowridge, and Trinity Clarke. Also making an appearance was Jamal Slocombe. Youth emcees Matthew Elliott and Daria Springer, jointly commanded the stage as they shared the duties with Patrick Salt Bellamy and Nikita Herbert.Top of Form

Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Charles Griffith in his remarks called for greater support from the private sector. “From the time I took up this role as Minister of Sports I have been asking the private sector to come on board because it is impossible for government to fund all of the programs that we think are necessary to move our athletes to the next level,” he said.

He added that the Government will advance the continued development of sport , “The onus is on us to ensure that every single playing field on this island is active with youngsters engaging in sporting disciplines and we have started the process of lighting all of those playing fields across the island. It is an ongoing project, but we expect to see the finishing line at some point in time.”

The feature address was delivered by media personality Alex Jordan under the theme Creating Identity Through Sports. (STT)