Pulling out all the stops

St Vincent and the Grenadines will, in the upcoming months, be the host of a number of sporting events, subregional, regional and international. These go along with the others, which have come our way in the past four and a half months.{{more}}

But this unprecedented slate of happenings begins next weekend, when Grenada’s senior female cricket team engages St Vincent and the Grenadines in a three-match play-off to select the Southern Windwards squad for the West Indies women’s competition.

St Vincent and the Grenadines senior men’s football team is set to take on St Kitts and Nevis here on June 7, in the second round of the Caribbean Cup.

Then, in late June to early July, the Windward Islands Under-19 cricket competition will be hosted here, to be followed thereafter by the West Indies Under-19 tournament, which runs into late August.

The sport of netball will give St Vincent and the Grenadines its fifth occasion to have the durable ECCB OECS Under-23 Netball Tournament, this, the 26th edition.

This tournament comes in July, not many days after the national Carnival celebrations.

During the month of August, close to 100 young tennis players will descend on the mainland, to be part of another International Tennis Federation’s tournament, at the National Tennis Centre at Villa.

And, although St Vincent and the Grenadines is out of the running in the CONCACAF Zone of the World Cup Qualifiers, an engagement with the USA at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, on September 2, looms large in our sporting history.

Reports are that India’s cricket team is slated to play a tour match here as well.

Also on the agenda is the OECS Swimming Championships in November. This will be St Vincent and the Grenadines’ maiden year of hosting the subregional championships, having completed one of the requirements, a six-lane pool at the Shrewsbury Aquatic Centre.

Not to be counted out, there is a strong likelihood that the NACAC Chatoyer International Endurance 10k road race, which was re- introduced last year, again will be on the national sporting plate in November.

These are some of the more prominent undertakings, as all but one involve the facilitation for teams travel, officials, media personnel, supporters and other interest groups.

All lumped, it should be a chock-a-block time for sports administrators, the security forces, hoteliers and other stakeholders which are directly involved in events of this nature.

Therefore, although still an avenue which has not been pursued nationally, it should be a time when sports tourism will get some kind of spike in activity.

It is imperative that all stops should be pulled out, as it will be a case of St Vincent and the Grenadines on show.

All concerned should by this time have their checklists in action, as they seek to maximize all the possibilities of not only St Vincent and the Grenadines puting on a good show, but for the much needed foreign currencies to be left here.

Facilities, protocol, logistics, entertainment and other services, inclusive of the safety of the visitors, should be high priority areas.

Readiness for such undertakings is always relative, as we have had a tendency to leave it to the host associations to do all the planning and the leg work.

At the other end as well, some associations hug and hog their shows; thus no space is left for outside assistance and expertise.

Within the next few months, all egos, differences, be it political or otherwise, should take a holiday, as cashing in on this list of hosting should take the attention of all who, in some way, are called on to be part of the happenings.

This should be our time.