B.V.I. Tuesday, June 29Hertfordshire – Residents in the town of Aston in , United Kingdom recently raised the Virgin Islands flag as they welcomed Eric Matthias the first Virgin Islands athlete and Olympic hopeful to arrive in the town ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Mr. Matthias will spend several weeks training at Hertfordshire’s pre-games training camps as a lead up to the Central American and Caribbean Games in July, the Commonwealth Games in October and the London 2012 Olympics.
Derrick Ashley, Hertfordshire County Council's Champion for the 2012 Games and Executive Member for Planning said, "We are delighted to welcome the first of many British Virgin Islands athletes to Hertfordshire and thank the villagers of Aston for extending such a generous welcome.”
He continued, “The County has so much to offer world-class athletes in the run up to 2012. Hertfordshire is an ideal place for athletes from around the world to train and only a short distance from London and the Olympic Park."
Secretary General of the British Virgin Islands' Olympic Committee, Dean Greenaway, said, "I have felt so welcomed here and seen such great facilities for my athletes to train which, together with the warm and friendly welcome from the Aston villagers, only confirms my decision that Hertfordshire is the place of choice. Where else could we possibly want to go?"
As the first signatory to Hertfordshire, a London 2012 Olympic Games approved pre-games training venue, the town and people of Aston adopted the Virgin Islands and will host the Territory’s athletes in their home as they seek to train and qualify for various events leading up to the Olympic games.
Speaking on the formation of the relationship between the Virgin Islands and the Town of Aston, Mr. Greenaway said, “The seed for this partnership with Aston was sown during the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when I met Rosemary Mula a volunteer in the international relations department. Ms. Mula spoke of connections in Aston and getting the community to support the BVI athletes for London 2012.”
He added: “She assisted BVI with the Beijing Olympic Games and it was there, with BVI Olympic Committee Vice President at the time Mr. John Lewis, Chef de Mission Dag Samuels, and Eric Matthias that contact was made with John Fuller, Hertfordshire’s London 2012 Manager.”
The British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee on May 25, 2009 became the first organisation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Hertfordshire as their pre-Olympic Games venue. This allows Virgin Islands athletes to use Hertfordshire high quality sports facilities in addition to the nearby University Sports Village, the Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City and Stanborough Lakes.
Mr. Matthias represented the Territory as a discus thrower in the 2008 Olympic Games and is currently preparing for the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Games to be held in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico from July 17 – August 1. The BVI Olympic Committee is comprised of a 12 sport-member federation and association, and facilitates the development of the Territory’s athletes through assistance provided by Olympic solidarity.
British Virgin Islands News