Saint Lucia to celebrate Julien Alfred Day, declares national holiday

The first ever Olympic gold medallist of Saint Lucia, Julien Alfred who beamed the audience with pride and honour is all set to return to the island nation on September 24 following her exceptional victory in Paris Olympics 2024. With a vision to recognize her contribution to the development of the nation, the authorities have declared a public holiday on 27th September, officially named “Julien Alfred Day.”

The announcement was made by the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip J Pierre about dubbing Friday, 27th September as “Julien Alfred Day.” It was made during a pre-cabinet press briefing on Monday, September 9th.

While inviting all the citizens of the country to welcome the Golden Girl, PM Pierre stated, “We invite all Saint Lucians to join Julien Alfred in celebrating this historic Olympic win. Stay tuned for details.”

Notably, Alfred became the first athlete from Saint Lucia to win an Olympic gold medal and made history by winning the 100 meters in 10.72 seconds, setting a new National Record. Along with that, she also secured the silver medal in the 200 meters in a time of 22.08 seconds at the Paris Olympic Games in August.

The day, 27th September designated as Julien Alfred Day, a public holiday is a tribute to the remarkable achievement of Julien Alfred in securing the country’s first Olympic medals, 100m gold and 200m silver in Paris 2024.

Alfred will return to Saint Lucia via the Hewanorra International Airport on Tuesday, September 24. A grand welcome will be followed by a Motorcade on the East Coast from Airport to Gros Islet.

Following that, on the next day, 25th September 2024, National Schools Rallies are to be held at the Soufriere Mini Stadium and the La Ressource Playing Field. There, the students and the audience from nearby communities will get an opportunity to interact with the athlete. The authorities noted that it would be inspiring for the students to have an interactive session and get some insight from the gold medallist of the country.

The following day Alfred will visit the Ciceron Combined School for the unveiling of an Iconic Mural and significant announcements. And, on 27th September, the National Holiday will dominate by a free four-hour Concert at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (DSCG) commencing at 4.00 p.m.

For the same, the authorities have encouraged all the Saint Lucians to come out in their numbers as they plan to reveal the full package of incentives she will receive for her accomplishments in Paris.

The Minister of Tourism of Saint Lucia, Ernest Hilaire, also extended an inivitation to the citizens and stated that it is the time for all of them to celebrate their 2-time Olympic Medalist Julien Alfred.

“Be proud and enjoy the celebrations for the exceptional achievements of our National Hero,” noted Minister Hilaire.