Windward Islands Schools’ Games on our doorstep

Yes, St Vincent and the Grenadines in a few weeks, will be welcoming over two hundred athletes and officials, from neighbouring Saint Lucia, Dominica, and Grenada for the 2025 Canadian Bank Note (CBN) Windward Islands Schools Games.

Set for July 26 to August 3, the four islands will battle for supremacy in Track and Field, Netball, Football, Male and Female Volleyball, as well as Male and Female Basketball.

For St Vincent and the Grenadines, it has been long in waiting, as Covid -19 and the volcanic eruptions here in St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2021, and the post-pandemic readjustments and recovery, saw no Games held in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Resumption of the Games took place in 2023, with Grenada as the host, and last year, when all was set for St Vincent and the Grenadines, Hurricane Beryl struck cancelling the event.

Keeping the cycle intact, St Vincent and the Grenadines will host the Games in 2025.

Hopefully, barring any catastrophic event or events, St Vincent and the Grenadines is poised to put on a show of administrative acumen.

As it stands, the Games are administered by the Sports Department in the Ministry of Housing, Informal Human Settlements, Youths and Sports, but the event is essentially a national undertaking.

Therefore, each Vincentian must play his or her part in ensuring that the various events are effectively managed and executed.

Attending the matches should be fixtured in the psyche and agenda our sports-loving public between that period. And, as a lead up to the Games, Vincentians can spread the word, share the flyers on the various social media platforms, with mainstream media also playing its part in the promotion.

Notably, it is incumbent that the citizenry provides that moral support for the home team which is vital in buttressing the Vincent and the Grenadines athletes as they endeavour to go much better than their last outing in 2023. In fact, St Vincent and the Grenadines finished last, with the country’s best showing being a second place in Female Volleyball.

Third places in Track and Field, Male Volleyball and Football followed. They were better than the last place efforts in Netball, Male Basketball and Female Basketball.

Effectively, the 2023 final placing was a repeat of what was achieved in 2019.

It is imperative that as host, St Vincent and the Grenadines does well, or at least not be at the bottom of the ladder; this would serve as consolation and provide motivation.

The performance of our various teams is critical as it will provide a good gauge of where we are at this juncture, relative to the other three countries of the grouping. One would hazard a guess that no stone is being left unturned to ensure a good show all round.

Apart from the output on the courts, track, and playing fields, being good hosts is paramount.

Providing good Vincentian hospitality, exposure to our cuisine and culture should be packaged and presented to the visitors. We have a few weeks to get the watertight planning right, so that things can unfold seamlessly and with minimum hiccups and no faux pas. Of course, this column is not looking for perfection but holds that we strive for excellence.