INTRODUCTION:
Happy Olympic Day to the entire SKN Olympic Family!
The St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee (SKNOC) is now in its twenty-first year as a bona fide member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The national sporting landscape of St. Kitts and Nevis has undoubtedly changed for the better since the SKNOC emerged on the scene. On this Olympic Day, we, at the SKNOC have cause to be reminded that membership does have its privileges and benefits. Hence, the SKNOC is indeed eternally grateful to its parent body, the IOC, and its affiliate Continental arms, and its international partners and associates for their support and timely, trusted interventions over the years. We intend to consolidate this evolution of progressive change, by maximizing the benefits to be derived from the active participation in, and contribution to, the Olympic Family events; and the demonstration of a renewed and reinvigorated commitment to the ideals of friendship, excellence and respect.
Olympic Day, 23rd June, provides, inter alia, an annual opportunity for the members of this extra-special (Olympic) family to celebrate successes and reflect on challenges; to recommit to the goal of inspiring successive generations, using physical activity and sports as a medium.
However, the focus of Olympic Day is not just limited to, or intended solely for, Olympic Family members. The object of the activities-- on which the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOC’s), throughout the world, tend to pay attention—seeks, additionally, to encourage the citizenry and public, at large, to actively commit to “move”, “learn” and “discover”—using sports as a vehicle.
LOCAL ACTIVITIES SCHEDULED:
The local activities for this year began on Sunday June 22nd and extend to July 5th and 6th. A review of the programme of activities would reveal a definite focus on physical activity and sports, a partnership with Member Federations, associates and like-minded organizations to host and stage two stellar competitions at the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium (SJAS), and the staging of, what I term, the Independence Square Fun and Entertainment Gala; as well as an act of public recognition and acknowledgement of national athletes, coaches/administrators and managers and, especially, volunteers.
National Track and Field Championship
On June 22nd, the SKNOC partnered with the St. Kitts and Nevis Amateur Athletic Association (SKNAAA) to stage the National Invitational and Club Championship at the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium (SJAS). This event was a major qualifying event for national athletes who wished to seek selection on a number of SKNOC-affiliated Games and Competitions—among them the Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, July/August, 2014), the Senior Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games (Vera Cruz, Mexico, November 2014), the Pan American Games (Toronto, July/August, 2015), the Olympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 2016). Secondly, this event provided a welcome and cherished opportunity for elite athletes—many of whom spend extended periods overseas—to bond with the athletes on the local front as well as to perform before local fans and supporters.
Recognition and Acknowledgement
During the course of the National Invitational and Club Championship event at the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium (SJAS), time was set aside to recognize and acknowledge the volunteers; to present, to the fans, the athletes and delegates who will be representing St. Kitts and Nevis (SKN) at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) to be held in Nanjing, China (August 2014); and to introduce to the public the resilient and resourceful U-23 Netball Team.
Olympic Day T-Shirt Give-Aways
At selected intervals, during the course of the day, there were also “Olympic Day T-Shirt Give-Aways” to the patrons at the event.
Olympic Day Messages
Today, Monday 23 June, Olympic Day, the Olympic Day Messages of the IOC President, Thomas Bach, SKNOC President, Alphonso Bridgewater and The Honourable Minister of Youth Empowerment and Sport et al/ Mr. Glen Phillip is will be broadcast on national radio and television. Ms. Angellissa Freeman -- National Table Tennis player - would have the honour of reading IOC President Bach’s Olympic Day Message 2014.
The Olympic Flag will also be flown at Olympic House on Olympic Day, today June 23rd.
Independence Square Fun and Entertainment Gala:
On Friday, June 27th, Independence Square will take on a new buzz of excitement with the staging of the Independence Square Fun and Entertainment Gala. The SKNOC will be collaborating with a number of partners including Mr. Seymour Williams of (Life Fitness Centre, Bird Rock; Dr. Garfield Alexander and others of GMS, the St. Kitts and Nevis Table Tennis Association/SKNTTA and the Child Month Committee) to stage the following events:
(i) Exercise fest
(ii) Presentation to the public of the National Team that will participate in the Youth Olympic Games, Nanjing, China
(iii) Presentation to the public of the national team that will participate in the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014
(iv) Table Tennis Open Air Exhibition featuring the members of the Youth Olympic and Commonwealth Games Table Tennis Teams
(v) Special Welcome and Reception for the hundreds of children and parents participating in the Annual Child Month Parade. Independence Square will be the traditional end-point/finale event for the month-long Child Month celebration.
The OECS Senior Track and Field Championship
On July 5th and 6th, the SKNOC will partner, once again, with the SKNAAA to host and stage, at the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium (SJAS), St. Kitts, the OECS Senior Track and Field Championship. Some 125 male and female athletes from the nine (9) OECS Countries have registered to participate in dozens of events, over the two days, starting daily at 2pm.
ANOCES General Assembly 2014
On the morning of Saturday July 5th, the 2014 General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of the Eastern Caribbean States (ANOCES) will be convened at the Marriott.
SKNOC’S STEWARDSHIP AND SUPPORT:
The SKNOC’s support to its Member Federations, since June 2013, spanned the areas of (i) financing the participation in Games/Competitions/Tournaments—at Senior, Junior and Female levels; (ii) Technical Assistance and Training for Coaches (iii) knowledge enhancement and skills transfer opportunities for administrators (iv) facilitating the conduct of Drug and Anti-Doping Testing (v) executing a number and variety of Drug and Anti-Doping information and education sessions (vi) procuring equipment for selected Member Federations.
Financing Participation in Competitions/Games A minimum of eighteen (18) national teams in five different sports were provided funding to participate in competitions literally throughout the world. The SKNOC remains the premiere technical assistance provider and financing agent in the Federation for sport with respect to the sponsorship of travel, accommodation, per diem for athletes and delegates. No other agency spends near as much on a continuous, annual basis to support national sport organizations.
Technical Assistance Additionally, since June 2013, some eight (8) coaches from at least four (4) different sports and seven (7) different areas of focus travelled overseas for specialist training. These training opportunities are often conducted at tertiary level institutions, by highly acclaimed specialists and facilitators, and attributed internationally accredited status. Also worthy of note, is the fact that tertiary level training was afforded to one individual who specialized in the combined areas of massage therapy and strength and condition training. Technical assistance and training were extended to all member federations, including male and female teams, youth and senior national representations, specialist and general coaches.
Transfer and Enhancement of Knowledge and Skills
In the area of the transfer and enhancement of knowledge and skills , the SKNOC was pleased to have provided the opportunity to staff members with respect to information technology and communication and to other sport administrators who learnt from their attendance at and participation in seminars/workshops on “Sports For All” (Haiti) and “Sports, Education and Culture” (The Netherlands).
PODIUM PREPARATION-PODIUM PRESENCE:
The exposure and participation afforded athletes are part and parcel of the SKNOC’s objective to provide “PODIUM PREPARATION” experiences. Podium Preparation is intended to lead, in turn to “PODIUM PRESENCE”. Speaking of which, I must pause to congratulate the National Relay Team which participated in the inaugural IAAF World Relays, in Nassau, Bahamas, May 2014. The SKN 4x200m Relay Team made it to the podium (podium presence) with a silver medal performance. Jamaica outdid SKN to achieve the gold medal position. The time accomplished by the SKN team stands as the third fastest time ever in the event, only to have been eclipsed/bettered previously by Jamaica and the United States of America (USA). I, therefore, take the time to, again, recognize and acknowledge the members of the team (Lestrod Roland, Antoine Adams, Allister Clarke, Brijesh Lawrence and Jason Rogers) and the coaching and management staff (in the persons of Lonzo Wilkinson/Head Coach and Allister James, the masseur and Strength and Conditioning coach).
Scholarship Programme To reinforce its efforts at “PODIUM PREPARATION” and “PODIUM PRESENCE”, the SKNOC has maintained its scholarship programme for selective athletes. Among those currently benefiting from the scholarship programme are Jason Rogers, Brijesh Lawrence, Allistar Clarke, Delwayne Delaney, and Adrian Williams. These elite athletes receive continuous scholarship funding which assists in their procuring nutritional support, meeting the costs for gym and massage services, travel to and from meets and stipends for their coaches.
Re Adrian Williams With respect to Adrian Williams, the National Champion, Regional and Continental medallist in the Javelin Throw, the SKNOC continues to invest significantly in his ‘podium preparation’. For 2014, Adrian was part of the largest contingent to represent SKN in the Carifta Games. Adrian has been training, for months now, with the current Olympic Javelin Champion in Trinidad and Tobago and his coaching/training staff. Adrian further travelled to Cuba to participate in competition there. The SKNOC has been the premium sponsor in all these efforts.
Special Mention Worthy of special mention is the fact that the SKNAAA’s participation and involvement in every single competition - at home and abroad, for individuals or for team events would have been nigh impossible were it not for the phenomenal and sustained financial and other support of the SKNOC. That support extends to the level of the very Development Meets and the supply of equipment and materials. Athletes who travel from overseas to participate in the National Track and Field Championships and meet the qualification criteria to warrant selection on the national teams are reimbursed the travel costs. The SKNAAA is a signature member of the SKNOC. Its athletes continue to contribute significantly to the goal of “podium presence”, country recognition and generational inspiration. I commend and congratulate the SKNAAA, under the trusted and tested leadership of Mr. Glenville Jeffers, for its steady and outstanding stewardship.
The St. Kitts and Nevis Amateur Volleyball Association has eventually accepted the wisdom to focus some attention on the alternative discipline of Beach Volleyball. The SKNOC has been extremely supportive of both the female and male versions of the National Team in their ‘podium preparation’ exploits. We are advised that the female Beach Volleyball team has qualified for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games to be held in Vera Cruz, Mexico, in November this year. Expected to roll out later this year is another volleyball training programme targeting the schools. To this effort, the SKNOC will be committing some EC$30,000.00. The Basketball U-25 National team received seminal support to enable it to participate in the recently concluded regional competition whilst Coach Dave Sutton travelled to Mexico for training.
Netball received funding for it’s under 23 Team, its U-16 Team. So, too, did the Table Tennis Association - whose support is ongoing, including sponsorship of an upcoming training camp in Santo Domingo in preparation for the Commonwealth Games and the Youth Olympic Games.
The Football (soccer) Association and players have not been left out either. The support to the Association, players (male and female teams), technical staff continue unabated.
CONCLUSION:
Passing of Mr. Kishu Chanderamani In closing, permit me to use this opportunity to publicly express, on behalf of the SKNOC Family, and on my own behalf, sincerest condolences to the family of the late Kishu Chanderamani who recently departed this life. Mr. Kishu, through his businesses, his personal interests, his involvement in community service organizations and his characteristic compassionate nature, proved over and over again to be an exemplary friend of sport. The SKNOC has reason to be reminded of his humility, his approachability and accessibility when he was requested and graciously accepted to serve as one of our initial trustees.
Going Forward
We look forward to definite “podium presence” in the upcoming events and competitions for 2014 -- including the Commonwealth Games, the CAC Games, the Youth Olympic Games. The outcomes at these events will go some way in pointing us as what to expect and to prepare for in the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games (July/August 2015) and the next Olympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 2016).
We, at the SKNOC, will proceed assiduously with “podium preparation” efforts as we seek to further broaden and deepen the events/disciplines in which we compete, expand the reach to embrace increased female participation and encourage coaches to become more aggressive but affable, more analytical, more astute; more goal and result oriented, more inclined to establish network relationships with other coaches at home and abroad; to widen the interest in the athlete beyond the field of play.
Happy Olympic Day to one and all!
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