Contact sports need assistance

By Jonteau Coppin

Barbados is a long way from having contact sportsmen competing in global competitions like the Summer Olympics, says president of the Barbados Wrestling Association Rollins Alleyne. Alleyne stated that there were not enough resources available to produce sportsmen ready for the top level.

“There aren’t enough quality coaches in Barbados that can properly train the athletes, the facilities aren’t there, we can’t use the Gymnasium whenever we want to so that’s why we do quite a bit of beach wrestling because those are available. Ultimately, we don’t have the funds to finance these things in order to compete with bigger nations,” he told Barbados TODAY

In order to take contact sports forward in Barbados, Rollins said more funding would have to be made available, as well as a new way of thinking about these sports. Barbados has not traditionally competed or qualified to compete on a regular basis in sports such as judo, wrestling and boxing at the Olympic Games and other similar global events.

“Ideally you want to develop the athletes from as young an age as possible to teach them good habits. But further on from that we need to market contact sports as an asset that can boost the economy. Sports is very marketable and if it can bring in more tourists that is beneficial to everyone. Over the course of the next ten years, I’d like to create a zoning system within Barbados within which each parish has two teams which compete,” he said.

However, Alleyne still believes the talent is there to be harnessed. In June 2021, a team of five talented junior wrestlers: Makayla Brown, Adrian Maynard, Deshon Skeete, Shavere Tempro and Keon Sobers left the island to compete at the 2021 Continental Championship in Mexico. Makayla Brown got a bronze medal in the female Cadet category, ages 16-17, Adrian Maynard placed fourth in the Male Cadet category, and Deshon Skeete placed fifth in the Male freestyle Juniors category.

Of those five competitors, Rollins has earmarked Tempro to achieve great things beyond Barbados’ shores.

“With his physique and natural talent, he is a gold mine. If the right people got hold of him, he could be something special,” Alleyne described the young grappler.

Fans can follow Tempro’s exploits in the 130 Kg Men’s Greco-Roman wrestling competition in Junior Panam in Cali, Colombia between September 9 and 19. He was given a wild card to compete after his exploits in Mexico.