More investment, commitment needed, says Fennell

There were moments of applause last Thursday evening at the Barbados Olympic Association & the Barbados Lottery Dinner and Awards, but none louder than during the delivery of the feature address by former president of the Jamaica Olympic Association, Dr Michael Fennell, when he called for regional governments to show more of a genuine interest and investment in sport.

Speaking to the patrons in attendance at the Needhams Ballroom at the Hilton Barbados Resort, Fennell outlined the fact that sports had progressed significantly in 60 years since 1959. The former Commonwealth Games Federation Chairman and his fellow West Indies team-mates were honoured on the night for their participation in the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago, USA. Fennell captained the team which comprised of Barbados representatives John Burke (Waterpolo), Albert Weatherhead (Waterpolo), Charlie ‘Reds’ Packer (Waterpolo) and Fred Marville (Weightlifting).

Quoting Winston Churchill, Dr Fennell said, ‘A nation that forgets its past has no future.’ He was drawing the reference to make his point that sporting associations and athletes must never forget the past and what it took to succeed. Also that the standard of sports must improve year to year in order for progress to be made.

“I say this in the context that we are celebrating the past [1959], but the past is the past and who knows what the future will bring. Every country in the world that I have visited, they are aggressively through the state investing heavily in sports and physical recommission. We who are satisfied with what we have done, who bask in the glory of our people who have achieved great things, need to see what is the legacy we are leaving. That will ensure that we will improve from year to year as we look ahead.”

“In order for us to improve, sports tourism is a must and investment is required,” the former JOA president pleaded.

The loudest cheers came when he stated that we in the Caribbean know well how to celebrate triumph when someone breaks a record and wins gold, but that same energy and passion can never seem to be found when development begins and work needs to be done at the grassroots level.

That sort of effort is needed but the experienced sports administrator of 40 years noted that rewards are good, especially seeing the accomplishments that Caribbean athletes have achieved, but infrastructure is important as well.

“It does not happen without investment and when you are looking for what investments are being made in the infrastructure for sports tourism and other sports and physical education activities, it is very minimal. In terms of these investments, programmes and the development of the skills that are necessary, the human factor, the high level of obesity around the world and training of young and old to move away from physical activities, especially the pursuit of their digital activities and their digital experiences, all present major challenges for the development of sports.”

The hope is that his words do not fall on deaf ears or country leaders who still are too stubborn to take sport seriously.
(AS)