Putting meaning and flesh to intent

There was some debate, discussion, and views expressed relative to the naming of the four sports ambassadors at the 2024 Independence Parade at the Victoria Park, on the night of Sunday, October 27, 2024.

At that function, Dr Ralph E Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines announced Fitzgerald King, aka John Hinds, along with Shafiqua Maloney, Oalex Anderson and Jomel Warrican as the awardees.

A former national footballer, King represented St Vincent and the Grenadines as a goal keeper, while Maloney became the first Vincentian athlete to reach the Olympic final, when she got the 800m women’s final at the 2024 France games.

Meanwhile, Anderson is the current St Vincent and the Grenadines Senior Men’s Football Team captain, while Warrican, is a present West Indies player, but who resides and represents Barbados in regional Cricket competitions.

However, there were persons questioning the appointees, dissecting their contribution, thus, applied meritocracy to the process.

This has been a recurring decimal ever since the awards have become a regular feature in the annual Independence Speech by Gonsalves.

It is the view of this column that no one should burst a vein about the dishing out of such status, as there are no followed guidelines in the eligibility of the appointees.

As such, it is left to the whims and fancies of an individual or individuals to have these persons appointed and subsequently afforded a Diplomatic Passport.

Despite the chatter, and sometimes opposition, this is not to say that the appointees may not be deserving of their status. Neither is the announcement anticipated, as persons carefully examine each appointment and begin the nays and yea’s, as to who should or should not be given the homage.

Among the dissenting voices, are those who proffer that the appointments are tainted with political intents, face – painting and fraught with “mamaguyism”.

Some also are opposed to the numbers that are awarded each year, noting that is should be one or two at the most. Likewise, whilst some concur that the Sports Ambassadors awards can inspire the next generation, others question the lack of structure and mechanism. Whatever the thoughts, the perceived hidden agendas, ambitions and guile of those who chose to make the annual announcements of “Sports Ambassadors”, the time is ripe for the conversation to be reignited, paving the way for St Vincent and the Grenadines to have a structured awards of sporting excellence.

Yes, one may advance the argument that there is no sustained National Sports Award ceremony any more, therefore it is reasonable to think that a larger recognition for sports people would hold pride of place or significance among the powers that be.

In spite of the pessimism, the narrative must be solidified and kept at the forefront of sports discussion, forcing those responsible for dishing out the Sports Ambassadors accolades to take another look at the annual announcements.

Adding some meaning to the much welcomed awards can only augur well for paying homage to those who have blazed the trail and have toiled in the vineyard.

In other Caribbean countries, there are systems in place to justly reward sporting excellence be it past or present. It is pathetic that in 2024, St Vincent and the Grenadines is without a Hall of Fame for sports, although the

suggestion has been bandied about for years now. Is it safe to assume that is the scant respect that successive regimes who have held the reins of political power have for sports in the country?

Those with that opinion are correct, since there is not much to the contrary to think otherwise. Time is fast elapsing and unless things are done soonest, there will always be questions about the yearly Sports Ambassadors’ designations.