King – Greater things in store for OCASPE

The Organisation of Caribbean Administrators of Sports and Physical Education (OCASPE) has been re-launched.{{more}}

The ceremony took place here last Friday, May 27, and a new Executive was elected to carry out the work of the organization.

Erskine King of Barbados has been elected as OCASPE’s President. Victor Reid, Vice President; Theophila Charles, General Secretary; Ruth Marchon, Assistant Secretary Treasurer; Otis Jack, Treasurer; Dave Connor, Public Relations Officer, and Nelson Hillocks, floor member, make up the rest of the executive body.

Newly elected president King said that he promised to give of his best to ensure that the organization maintained its relevance across the region.

“The organization has been in existence since 1994, but in recent times it has been at the crossroads,” he said.

King added that he anticipated greater things to come in the future with the assistance of the various ministries and international partners who will ensure that the young people of the region are able to benefit from the programmes and policies that OCASPE puts forward.

He was of the view that too often, as a region, we allow our little differences to separate us, but he was of the view that there was more that we share in common as a people than what divides us.

“Let us use our strengths and God given talent to do the best of our abilities and to uplift the people of this region – we owe it to them,” King said.

Meanwhile, Barbados’ Minister of Sport Stephen Lashley referred to OCASPE as an organisation of supreme importance to the development of sport.

“It exemplifies a strategy that is so necessary and most effective development of the nations,” he said.

Lashley said that he was particularly pleased with the new executive’s focus on at risk youth across the region, saying that the time was now to focus young people on careers in sport.

“We need across the Caribbean sport psychologists, physiotherapists and managers, and we need to expose young people at an early age as possible to these areas if we are to succeed in this endeavour,” he explained.

He encouraged the members of OCASPE to utilize athletes who have retired to find creative ways to engage with present day sports men and women.

Lashley further contended that the region lacked professional trainers and human and technical resources and called again on the members of the physical education and sports organisation to partner with international agencies to share information. (DD)