Friday 15th February, 2019 marked a historic moment for the Olympic Movement in Dominica, when for the first time ever Dominica was visited by The President – Mr. Brian Lewis and Secretary General – Mr. Keith Joseph of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC). This visit stemmed from an invitation from the Dominica Olympic Committee (D.O.C) which was extended to the allow the CANOC representatives to provide further knowledge and information to the D.O.C and its Affiliated Associations, which would in turn assist in stronger strategic planning for sports development and Dominican athletes.
President of the DOC – Mr. Billy Doctrove commented, “Since the new DOC Executive took up office, major changes have been undertaken in the structure and general operations of the DOC. I was of the opinion that it would be beneficial to us as a group if we could have a visit of the CANOC representatives to further strengthen and provide guidance on our proposed path forward”.
The visit kicked off with an open discussion with all D.O.C Affiliated Associations to provide further information on the Olympic Movement. Additionally, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Programmes for the quadrennial 2017-2020 were discussed to provide Affiliated Associations with further knowledge on areas that the D.O.C could assist athletes and the development of their respective sporting disciplines within Dominica. Discussions with the CANOC representatives and the DOC Executive continued on Saturday 16th March, 2019 with good governance, leadership and development opportunities being the key pillars of discussion.
The D.O.C anticipates that this high profile visit will assist in developing increased awareness in the responsibility of Affiliates as far as their general accountability as members of the DOC is concerned as well as increasing their knowledge of resources that are available to them as an Affiliated Member of the D.O.C.
“We are very excited with the information gained and distributed from this visit. We look forward to the benefits it will bring to Dominica as we seek additional methods to improve the services that we offer to our Young Sportsmen and Women in Dominica in their quest in fulfilling their most obvious potential,” commented Mr. Billy Doctrove – President of the D.O.C.
Mr. Lewis – President of CANOC commented that both Mr. Joseph and he were tremendously pleased with the two days spent in Dominica. “We are confident in the leadership of the D.O.C and are confident that there is a bright future ahead for the D.O.C and the Olympic Movement in Dominica. We will continue to work closely with the D.O.C President and his team and will do everything in our power as CANOC assist the D.O.C and by extension the athletes of Dominica”. Mr. Lewis – Secretary General of CANOC echoed the statement that CANOC remain committed to assisting the D.O.C adding, “This initiative is part of our turning over of a new leaf as a Caribbean umbrella organization. In a very significant way one can say the D.O.C is a pilot in terms of this direction of CANOC to work closely with our National Olympic Committees and Commonwealth Games Associations to build the capacity of these organizations.”
