Ministry breast stroking with SVGASA

The Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture plans to take the plunge and synchronise with the St Vincent and the Grenadines Amateur Swimming Association.{{more}}

Minister of Sports Cecil Mc Kie informed the SVGASA of his intention last Saturday, at the opening ceremony of the Scotia Bank invitational swim championships, at the Shrewsbury Pool at Ratho Mill.

“…The responsibility of the ministry going forward is to work closely with the association… The Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture commits itself this morning to work with the association, to ensure you receive funding from the National Lotteries Authority and the ministry”, Mc Kie said.

Mc Kie disclosed that he has already been in consultation with the association’s new president, Stephen Joachim, who he asked to “sketch” the cost of a 25-metre pool as opposed to a 50-metre pool.

“We will see if we can get the offer that we have on the table to get to put in a full size Olympic pool, to get that grouping to partner with us and partner with the swimming association, to see if we can make one project out of one possibility,” Mc Kie stated.

McKie said he believed that with an Olympic size pool, St Vincent and the Grenadines could be a draw card for teams wanting a training facility during the “off season”, whilst twinning sport and tourism.

An ambitious Mc Kie is also not ruling out St Vincent and the Grenadines hosting the Junior Carifta swimming championships as well as other regional meets.

Last weekend’s championships, the second edition, involved over 50 swimmers drawn from the local swim clubs.

Mc Kie, though, is hopeful that in 2014, the third edition will be able to attract competitors from neighbouring territories.

There were indications that the 2013 championships would have seen participation of swimmers from Grenada; however, that did not materialise.(RT)