Barbados Olympic team announced

Eight athletes were named to the Barbados team yesterday for the Tokyo Olympics, which will be held in a few weeks.

The full delegate will total 17 members which includes the coaches, managers, medical team and Covid officer.

Also making the trip will be young sports journalist Anmar Goodridge-Boyce who has been invited by the IOC and National Sports Council Director, Neil Murrell, will also be at the games.

With the games slated to start this month the announcement was made at the Barbados Olympic Association by Cyril Cameron Burke the Chef de Mission of the team.

With the IOC promoting gender equality this year there will be two flag bearers and they will be the swimmers Danielle Titus and Alex Sobers who are expected to be in the Games Village ahead of the rest of the track athletes.

Leading the track and field athletes will be Shane Brathwaite who won gold at the Pan Am Games in 2019 in the 110m hurdles. Also in the squad is Mario Burke who is the second Barbadian to run a sub ten second time in the 100m.

The female sprinter is Tristan Evelyn, while Jonathan Jones who holds the Barbados national record in the 400m with a sub 45 second time is also on the team heading to Tokyo.

Sada Williams is the female quarter miler on the team, which is rounded off by Tia Adana Belle who will compete in the 400m hurdles.

Competition for the swimming is scheduled to begin on July 24, while the track and field events are slated to begin on July 30.

Like so many of the sporting events that have taken place during the Covid-19 Pandemic the Olympics will be held in a bubble environment for the athletes where no athlete can leave the Village unless for training or competition. They will also be subjected to regular testing though Burke said that it will be the saliva test unless someone tests positive, then the other test will be the PCR test.

Speaking at the announcement Burke said that due to the Covid-19 protocols at the Games Village athletes will not be allowed to enter until five days prior to their event.

Burke further pointed out that in the two-year cycle the games cost in the region of $2 million, however the subsidy from Japan for all athletes and officials travelling to the games have helped offset some of the cost. (CG)

TEAM BARBADOS DELEGATION

ATHLETES –

Track & Field

Shane Brathwaite – 110m Hurdles

Mario Burke – 100m / 200M

Jonathan Jones – 400m

Tia- Adana Belle – 400m Hurdles

Tristan Evelyn – 100m

Sada Williams – 400m

Aquatics

Alex Sobers – 200m / 400m. Freestyle

Danielle Titus – 100m Backstroke

SUPPORT PERSONNEL -

Cyril Cameron Burke – Chef de Mission

Gail Craig-Archer – Covid/Safeguarding Officer

Dr. Carl Ward – Chief Medical Officer

Alicia Brewster – Physio

Dr. June Caddle, Manager – Athletics

Gabriel Burnett, Coach – Athletics

Michael Stephens, Manager – Aquatics, Swimming

Leah Stancil, Coach – Aquatics, Swimming

Verna Holder – Olympic Attaché