BY FABIAN BELGRAVE | SEP 20, 2022
Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith (left) and Permanent Secretary, Yolande Howard (right) pose for a photograph with Commonwealth Games 400 metres’ bronze medalist Jonathan Jones; Commonwealth 400 metres’ Champion Sada Williams; and Pan American Champion Cyclist Amber Joseph, at the Grantley Adams International Airport recently. (F. Belgrave/BGIS)
Barbadian athletes have been assured that they will have the opportunity to showcase their skills on home soil.
Pan American Champion Cyclist Amber Joseph, Commonwealth Games 400 metres’ bronze medalist Jonathan Jones, and Worlds 400 metres’ bronze medalist and Commonwealth 400 metres’ Champion Sada Williams, were given this assurance at a press conference held recently at the Sir Garfield Sober Complex.
It came as officials from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, the National Sports Council and the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) addressed concerns that the athletes highlighted.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, proud of the athletes’ feat in their respective sports, stated: “I came from the airport to the gymnasium and I saw Bajans on the road celebrating. I saw Bajans celebrating sporting excellence.”
Congratulating them on their accomplishments, he encouraged each one to continue working diligently on with their craft and achieving the best results.
He added: “Government is on a quest to ensure that all of our athletes or the ones who reached the level of the three that are here this evening, excel and excel at a level where all of us will be proud, where they continue to hit podium and the Ministry will support them as best we can.”
Minister Griffith highlighted the fact that Barbadians were not able to see their national athletes perform on home soil but assured those in attendance at the press conference that, “the National Stadium is not a panacea for us to hit the podium.”
Elaborating, he said: “We need to buttress what we’re doing as it relates to our coaching, we need to have more focus as it relates to how we treat our athletes, at the local level. We’re cognizant that Government is aware that we need to have a National Stadium. I need to have a National Stadium. We need to see our athletes compete.”
President of the BOA, Sandra Osbourne, noted that the association was very proud of all four athletes, as she included the Commonwealth’s men’s 110 metres hurdles Silver Medalist, Shane Brathwaite.
She emphasised that elite athletes needed more support as they trained for their internationally events and stated: “Developing an elite athlete requires significant investment in high performance training, in an environment of excellence based on currently sports science principles. All this translates into time, resources and more importantly good competition and training facilities.”
The BOA has contributed $1.457 million, to aid national athletes, with the top 12 “Road to Paris” athletes weighted more. Ms. Osbourne, while thanking the national lottery for its continued contributions to the BOA, said it was “a game changer”. The national lottery has donated over $20 million over the last Olympic cycle.
