Barbados calls for strategic development in sports sector

A growing chorus of voices is heard within the sports sector in Barbados, calling for a more uniform and strategic approach to developing athletic talent across the country.

The appeal came forth in a wide-ranging discussion recently at the Daphne Joseph-Hackett Theatre, Queen’s Park, St Michael. The panellists included the Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith; Physical Education teacher, Nikita Wickham; and sports activist, Taahir Bulbulia.

The middle of the discussion was the critical requirement for the integrated Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Model, internationally recognized for adapting training, competition, and recovery to the stage in development of the athlete.

Nikita Wickham, for her part, has been trying to emphasize the need for a model such as LTAD. She said that if the model was properly applied, there would be consistency and efficiency in the development of athletes.

“Once we get models in place that are cohesive and everyone knows their roles, we can ensure our athletes are developed effectively and consistently. This will help us retain talent and foster success on the global stage,” Wickham said.

Minister Griffith echoed similar sentiments, stating that early talent identification paired with world-class coaching was the way to move forward. “If we are serious about producing world-class athletes, we must match them with world-class coaches from an early age. We need to be proactive in identifying and nurturing talent across all sports, not just track and field,” Griffith said.

He also addressed the traditional approaches and called for more of a focused approach. “We need to look at a four-year cycle and identify those individuals and teams with the potential to set national records or achieve personal bests. It can’t be a situation where it is anyone gets funding,” Griffith added.

Taahir Bulbulia, a highly respected sports activist and radio host, railed on about sports being a potential third pillar of the economy for Barbados. He further added that there needs to be a pathway of progress for athletes from primary school to tertiary education. “If it is done properly, sports through this pathway will not only enhance the health and culture of our nation but enhance our economy,” Bulbulia said.

Bulbulia also reiterated that the sector of the nation involving businesses, that sports seem to foster, stressing the examples such as the case of cricket, which is known to bring significant revenue to the country. He called on the partners to look at exploiting other sports in the same manner to uphold sports as a potential industry in Barbados.