Round Table Consultations on sports held with the Vincentian Diaspora in the USA

Vincentians who live in the USA gathered on Saturday, April 21, 2012 to participate in a Round Table Consultation organized by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Diaspora Committee of New York{{more}} in cooperation with the Consulate General of St Vincent and the Grenadines, USA and the Council of St Vincent and the Grenadines Organizations, USA (COSAGO).

The Round Table Consultation was chaired by Samuel Gordon, who serves as the Coordinator for the Sub-Committee on Sports of the Diaspora Committee. Participants, who represented cricket, soccer, netball, table tennis, basketball, track and field, and boxing, heard a feature presentation by Hon. Cecil McKie, Minister of Sports, Culture, and Tourism in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Remarks were also delivered by Selmon Walters, Consul General of St Vincent and the Grenadines, while prayers were offered by Deputy Consul General Edson Augustus. Presentations were also given by Maxwell Haywood, Celia Ross, Sherrill-Ann Mason, Gailene Windsor, Stella Boyea-Ashby, Jolene Christopher, Luxy Morris, Des Morris, Earl Horne, Patrick Horne, Albert Teshiera, James Cordice, Steve Pope, and Skyes Llewelyn.

McKie told the participants that it is important that these dialogues continue between St Vincent and the Grenadines and Vincentians living abroad, with the aim of carrying forward together an action-oriented and practical programme for sport development in SVG and in the Diaspora. According to McKie, SVG and the Diaspora sports organizations and persons should develop a common vision for sports development in SVG and work to promote that vision in a way that will benefit both SVG and its Diaspora.

He highlighted the support of the Diaspora for the participation of young Vincentian athletes at the Penn Relays as an example of a good practice in the sports sector, regarding joint action between SVG and the Diaspora. He also called for sports awards for those in the Diaspora to be integrated into the national sports awards in SVG. He further called for Vincentians in the Diaspora to organize a sports mission to SVG, soon after the Argyle International Airport is completed, to participate in sports throughout the country. Additionally, he called for a Diaspora sports umbrella body to represent the various sporting disciplines, and to represent the Diaspora in relations with SVG.

Participants addressed many areas of interest, including the importance of the Diaspora to sports development in SVG, and the role of sports as a human and social development tool. They highlighted the successes of Vincentian athletes in the Diaspora and the meaning of these legacies for SVG. The importance of the National Sports Policy and the need for a Five-Year National Development Plan for Sports and the role of the Diaspora in their development were also addressed.

Furthermore, the participants identified the need for closer collaboration among the various sports disciplines. The discussion also highlighted the importance of sports tourism to SVG and the role of the Diaspora in promoting that objective. The call was made to continuously identify the possibilities for sports development in the areas of business, cultural arts, and education, including scholarships.