Causes for concern

The continued lack of energy, interest and a protracted laissez faire approach by some of our national sporting associations here, are not the correct recipe for national mobilization.

It has always been an issue over the years, for our national associations to elect an executive, only for a few persons to carry the brunt of the work.

However, things seem to be going from bad to worse with some of these associations.

The state of affairs of some of the national sporting associations was revealed recently, when the executive summary of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC) was made known.

The summary, which effectively reported on the operations of the SVGOC during the period 2017 to 2021, noted: ”Unfortunately, there are some affiliates that are in critical conditions. These do not have complete executive committees, nor do they have regular meetings at the executive and general membership levels. Some do not have a club structure, while others do not convene national championships”.

These occurrences are clear infringements on the governance structure of sporting associations and point to organisations which flaunt their basic existence and more so alignment and affiliation to the SVGOC.

It is a cardinal administrative sin for sporting bodies to be so laxed, yet still be members of the SVGOC.

Without naming the associations in the summary, it speaks poorly of sports administration here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

There is, seemingly, no intention to take punitive actions against those organisations which do not meet the accepted mark.

This is the conjecture of this column, as the summary went on to point out, “Additionally, some of our affiliates receive no funding from their regional and international bodies and, because of the significant increase in the number of national associations competing for the resources of the government and the private sector, are essentially dependent on the SVGOC to provide funding for the vast majority of its activities, including, at times, payment of their annual international and continental dues to their respective governing bodies”.

Therefore, no better the beef, no better the barrel, as the SVGOC’s functionaries have aided and abetted the actions of the organisations which are allowed to operate scots free, yet are afforded the many privileges, inclusive of funding.

The executive summary, though, advanced the possibility of measures being taken to address those who continually transgress.

As such, the summary recorded: “It is critical that the SVGOC reviews the status of its respective affiliates to avoid crises. The Affiliate Activity Index, approved by the SVGOC several years ago, has not been effectively implemented by the executive over the years.

Funding has still been allocated to affiliates even when they do not appear to meet the requirements of the Index”.

But in bringing the short-comings of some affiliates to the account and chiding the offending ones, the SVGOC itself cannot be immersed in glory, as in the last quadrennial, the operations of the local parent body for Olympic sports, too, have had fingers pointed in its direction, relative to governance issues.

It is now for all and sundry to look themselves in the mirror and correct the many wrongs which they have been racking up over the years.
This column, though, is aware of some associations which merely exist by name, but are boastful of the many programmes.

They come public with their facades and make believe that everything within their walls of operations are hunky dory.

If needs be, and if they are allowed to continue in their modus operandi, On Target will have no other choice but to call them out.

It is no point that persons who love sports and know the value of sports, remain silent, while the sporting talents of the youths are left to waste, because of the actions of some selfish and callous personss in administration.

Thus, those who are in contravention of the spirit of sports, make that conscious decision to do better or simply make way for others.