Written by Josiah St Luce
Minster of state in the Ministry of Sports Senator Oscar George has stated Dominica’s government has made it a priority to promote athletes and give them the needed exposure to develop their talents.
George made this statement at the welcoming ceremony of athletes who represented Dominica at the 50th CARIFTA Games in Nassau,Bahamas from April 8th -10th.
The athletes were, Kerelle Etienne- Under 17 Girls- 100m / 200m, Godisha Joseph – Under 17 Girls- Shot Put, Addison James- Under 17 Boys- Javelin/Discus, Shakan Stedman-Under 20 Boys- 100m, Phillip Nathan Telemaque- Under 20 Boys- Octathlon, Sean Vidal- Under 17 Boys- 1500m and Joshua St.Jean-Under 20 Boys- 100m
“These athletes here today have all taken the decision to go out there and represent themselves and represent our country Dominica; this in itself is commendable,” he said
“Our government for the ministry of sports has made it a priority to promote our athletes and give them the needed exposure to develop their talents and have also aimed to develop the skills and abilities of our athletes at a very early age in order that they can compete on the regional and international stage…from primary school and an early secondary school level.”
George called this step ‘the grassroots movement’ in sports and it’s something that through the sports division will be going “very hard” in the upcoming years to ensuring youth development from as young as 10 years and all through secondary school and senior levels.
“On Monday last week we met with our CARIFTA athletes to give them a send off to represent us and today we are here again to welcome them home and celebrate their achievements I believe that this simple gesture will go a long way in supporting our athletes,” he stated.
“ We are the ministry and the government of Dominica by extension extremely proud of the efforts of our athletes, every single one of them have excelled and made us proud.”
He noted that the ministry is particularly proud of gold medalist Addison James who at the CARIFTA games last year got silver but this time around through his hard work and dedication he strike gold in Javelin.
He said the government will continue to support and promote him throughout his sporting career and will continue to give him the exposure that will benefit him in the long run.
“ A gold medal is a significant achievement for any athlete you are now an ambassador for the sport of javelin in Dominica and there are many athletes that are now looking up to you and I encourage you to start thinking bigger beyond just CARIFTA. continue to be humble and let your hard work speaks speak for itself.”
George also recognized the contributions from the other athletes and said they should be proud of their achievements and be proud to carry the flag of Dominica country to represent at the regional level.
“I urge all of you to keep striving and always remember that your turn for gold will come in time.”
George thanked all the team staff who played a major role in the success athletics participation in the games.
