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Government completes four-decade old sports project
by Michael
Bascombe
ST
GEORGE’S, Grenada, January 18, 2011
- The Government of Prime Minister Tillman Thomas has completed a
four-decade old project aimed at institutional strengthening of sports in
Grenada.
“For the
first time in the history of Grenada and completing a forty-one year-old
project, never achieved by any other administration, never completed by any
other minister for sports, there is now a National Policy on Sports and
Physical Activity in our country,” said Youth Empowerment and Sports
Minister Patrick Simmons.
Addressing
the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Mr Simmons
said the policy is also expected to create a framework for incentive reward
and the guaranteed development of professional sporting personalities.
“Under this
New National Policy and also completing a 38 year-old venture there is a
National Sports Council with Parish Sports Councils in every parish to
implement the major aspects of the National Sports Policy,” he said.
The
Minister said that there will be a new approach to national administration
and coordination of sports with the restructuring of the Ministry of Sports
and the operation of the National Sports Council.
He said
that under the new policy federation and sporting organisations will have to
be better structured and managed, with proper accountability and
transparency to relate to Government or in order to access government
assistance.
It also
means that new and modern sporting infrastructure, facilities and equipment
will be procured and better managed and some of the playing fields and
courts will be seeded to the National Sports Council.
He said
that one of the hallmarks of the sports policy will be the collaboration
with federations and organisations for the formulation of a comprehensive
development programme for athletes from talent identification at an early
age to professional development of world class competitors.
Mr Simmons
said that in 2011 the priority areas under the new policy on sports and
physical activity will include a national sporting calendar by the National
Sports Council; organisation of a Grenada National Championships every two
year and support to national federations for hosting year-round competitive
events.
He said
that there will be the development and implementation of performance
incentive framework for athletes; provision of economic support to members
of national teams and assistance to national athletes to secure jobs;
development of the human resource capacity across a wide range of
sport-related disciplines and a national policy on the use of prohibited
substances as well as dealing with conflict resolution for sporting
organisations and personalities.
“Mr
Speaker, the final aspect of a legal framework for sports management will be
completed when the National Policy on sports and physical activities is
implemented and the Sports Development Act is passed by this Honourable
House,” he said. |
