Athletes selected for Olympic development programme

Eleven promising athletes have been selected by the Barbados Olympic Association for the second cohort of its Youth Project Podium.

The programme is designed to foster excellence at the highest levels of international competition, including the Youth Olympics, Junior Pan Am Games, and ultimately the senior versions of both events, during the current Olympic cycle.

The initiative which was launched at the BOA’s headquarters on Tuesday, is supported by grants from the Amarone Charitable Trust and Panam Sport, with the athletes varying in age from 16-23.

The athletes set to benefit from the programme are Deann Walton (Judo), Savannah Stuart (Sailing), Lenna Hamati (Squash), Victor Ashby, Amiya Harrison, Jaiya Simmons, Mihael Sobers (Swimming) and Matthew Briggs-Legall, Alexis Lashley, Laila McIntyre and Zindzele Renwick-Williams
(Triathlon).

Secretary General of the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) Erskine Simmons, described the programme as a continuation of the association’s investment in Barbadian sport.

“Our first Youth Project Podium taught us a great deal about the needs of developing athletes and the importance of supporting them beyond competition and results.

“We have taken those lessons and used them to strengthen this second edition. This year we welcome a smaller cohort which represents a more focused approach to athlete development, with each athlete identified as having the potential to progress within the BOA’s pathway,” he disclosed.

The BOA’s Senior Operations Officer, Kendia Brathwaite, who is the project lead explained how the participants were selected.

“We would have gone out to our national federations and created a questionnaire to guide them in their selection of athletes. On top of that, we also looked at results from the last editions of the Youth Commonwealth Games and Youth Olympics and used that as a benchmark to select those athletes once they were put forward,” said Brathwaite who described the programme as a holistic one.

“We actually have the doctors from sports medicine, we have nutrition, we’re supporting them in physical therapy, we’re supporting them in mental skills, podiatry, personal branding, communications and such like.

“Our overall objective for the project is to of course develop athletes at a junior level from early and to be able to guide them into a pathway to even higher performance and higher success.

“We of course, at the Olympic Association would love to gain medals at a junior level.These athletes that are selected in this room actually will potentially go on to represent Barbados at the Youth Olympic Games.
later on this year, the Youth Commonwealth next year and then followed by the Junior Panna Games,” she explained.

Brathwaite further described the second cohort of the programme as an effort by the BOA to bolster the junior athletes within its national federations, in an effort to put them on a pathway for further success.

Trustee with the Amarone Charitable Trust David Csumrik said they are proud to partner with the BOA on the initiative. “We feel the first edition was very successful and I am sure the second edition will be successful. I am hoping the athletes have fun and enjoy the experience. Work hard but remember sport is supposed to be fun. Make us all proud.”
(KH)