Sandra Osborne on top of her game

Although she is 20 years into her journey as a sports administrator, Barbados Olympic Association President Sandra Osborne has her sights set on achieving so much more. Since becoming the island’s top sports administrator in 2017, the former lawyer is on a mission to see sport change the landscape of the island.

Having played tennis when she was younger, Osborne said that her story at the helm of sport began when she started helping out with the Barbados Tennis Association. Noting that her sons followed in her footsteps and got into tennis, she explained that it presented her with the opportunity to be sucked into the behind-the-scenes activities.

“I think it was as a result of their involvement. You know – a typical parent. I became involved and then started to take on a lot more. Became involved with a lot of the international tournaments and junior tennis and that kept me very, very busy,” she said.

Stating that she went on council around 2000 and became a Vice President very soon after, Osborne revealed that her involvement in the organisation of the island’s Davis Cup ties and her legal career groomed her perfectly for international duty.

“So I spent a lot of time liaising with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and that really exposed how sport worked internationally. I became a Director of the BOA back in 2012 and I would have then started as Legal Advisor of the Commonwealth Games Federation in 2015, 2016. So I started working in international sporting organisationsand that opened up quite a few doors,” she said.

Since heading the BOA, Osborne has been constantly on the move professionally as her election opened further doors for her. Having to give up her role with the Barbados Tennis Association, she has since taken up posts on the ITF gender equity committee and their ethics commission.

“Other things have happened since then. Various other opportunities have come up to serve on various commissions and committees and I have embraced them all.”

With a potentially bright future ahead for sport, Osborne said that it was her dream in life to see sport become a vehicle for as many as possible.

“I am fully committed to sport and I firmly believe in the power of sport to transform lives. So for me, it is a labour of love. I think that if we can make a little difference in somebody’s life through sport, I think that it’s well worth the effort,” she said.