Cultivating the right habits

The move by this country’s National Olympic Committee to establish a Hall of Fame should at least ignite interest at the wider national level in a Hall of Sports for St Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

Congratulations are in order for the National Olympic Committee, and most of all to the first inductee, Dr Lennox Adams, who has gone full circle in sports, from an athlete, to coach, to administrator, now an exceptional sports photographer.

Adams has been credited as the person who piloted the formation of the National Olympic Committee, then referred to as the National Olympic Association, thus paving the way for St Vincent and the Grenadines to become a member of the International Olympic Committee.

The road to last Thursday’s establishment of the Hall of Fame was arduous, long winding and overdue, but it is better late than never that such an undertaking has come to fruition.

For too long, our worthy sportsmen and women have blazed the trail, made their mark in many respects, yet very little by way of recognition has come their way.

Many are today walking the streets of St Vincent and the Grenadines or are shut away into a life of sporting insignificance, while others may have passed on to the other side, without any fanfare.

For many years, the idea to establish such a forum, to honour sportsmen and women who have made sterling input, did not get off the mark.

The plan of a National Sports Policy with some teeth has stopped at just the lifeless documented paper work.

But despite that lack of will on the national scale, many associations are guilty of not even paying homage to their own.

If one is, for example, to visit the offices of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association or that of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation, there are not many photos mounted on the walls, at least of those who contributed in the past, to at least represent some form of recognition.

Even at the National Sports Council’s Office or that of the Department of Physical Education and Sports, such semblance of respect is not in place for those who have toiled in the vineyard of sports.

This is not to say that some attempt has not been made to show appreciation to those who have made contributions, but those attempts have been sporadic and in some instances unstructured.

In at least one instance, we have burdened ourselves with the heavy weight of our colonial past still on our backs; the meaningless British originated awards granted in the case of Gloria Ballantyne, the title of MBE, which over time has vapourized, since the announcement and title was made some years ago.

Likewise, the annual National Sports Awards are merely recompense for performances for a particular calendar year, and do not carry the tags of posterity and veneration; so, all round we are at square one.

The bestowing of that accolade on Adams should now serve as inspiration to our many young athletes, coaches, our administrators and volunteers.

Therefore, the efforts of the National Olympic Committee should not stop there, as the process of a National Sports Hall of Fame for St Vincent and the Grenadines should be fast tracked.

Several Caribbean territories have gone past us and have had theirs up and running, serving to idolize those who have made extraordinary contributions.

For St Vincent and the Grenadines to get to this phase will take some doing, which is not beyond our capabilities. We must, however, come up with the will to see it materialize first.

Also, in getting to the next level, our sporting activities must be documented and archived, which in itself, is another ball game.

The way has been clear; it is just for us to proceed.