St. Kitts and Nevis hosts Grand welcome for Olympic Gold Medalist Thea Lafond

St. Kitts and Nevis hosted a special welcome reception for Dominica’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist, Thea LaFond Gadson at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort. The gold-medallist received a warm welcome as the Federation celebrated her achievements over the years. 

The welcoming reception was attended by several delegates, including, Minister of Sports, Samal Duggins; Minister of State for Youth Empowerment, Isalean Phillip; Ambassador of Sports, Kenneth Douglas; OECS Director-General, Dr. Didacus Jules; President of SKN Athletics, Delwayne Delaney; and others. 

All the delegates came together to celebrate Thea LaFond-Gadson's remarkable achievement and to welcome her to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. The Minister of Sports of St. Kitts and Nevis, Samal Duggins greeted Dominica’s Tourism Ambassador with a bouquet of flowers. He further acknowledged the role that Thea Lafond has played in positioning Dominica on a global map. 

Thea Lafond, wearing her Olympic Gold medal, met the students in St. Kitts and Nevis. She shared her Olympic journey and inspired them to become the next Golden athletes of the Caribbean region. 

Thea Lafond’s visit comes ahead of her participation in the 9th Annual Growth and Resilience Dialogue, scheduled to take place from 10th to 11th April, 2025 at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). The Gold-medallist Thea Lafond will serve as one of the featured speakers at the event themed ‘In Pursuit of Extraordinary Excellence.’ 

9th Annual Growth and Resilience Dialogue

This two-day event will play a significant role in inviting participants to engaging in dynamic discussions and interactive sessions, aimed at generating practical solutions for the future of the OECS and the wider Caribbean. 

During Day one, the speakers will exchanged significant dialogues on promoting sustainability in tourism, with a focus on indigenous and regenerative tourism practices. Along with that, there will also be interactive sessions including live demonstrations on data mining, data resilience and building robust digital infrastructures.

During Day two, the speakers will highlight sports investment and development, as well as the path for adoption of electric vehicles in the OECS. The highlights will also include a discussion with the Olympic Gold-medallist, Thea Lafond-Gaston. She will conduct a panel discussion on developing the region’s ecosystem for electric vehicles (EV); a masterclass on business and career opportunities in EV sales and servicing, and an exciting solar-powered EV showcase.