Vincentian on Paralympic ‘Road to Rio 2016’

Usain Bolt and Braedon Dolfo and others are preparing for sporting excellence at the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.{{more}}

You see, Braedon Dolfo is a Vincentian, and before the NPC-SVG came onto the scene, he would not have had the choice of which country he would want to represent. So, next year, we in St Vincent and the Grenadines are poised to make Olympic sporting history by participating in our very first Paralympic Games, which are traditionally held alongside the Olympic Games.

The National Paralympic Committee Inc, (NPC-SVG) is a not for profit organization, established and registered in 2014, through the efforts of Anthony Durrant, MBE JP, a son of the soil now resident in the United Kingdom, in partnership with Siraz Natha of the Red Rose Sports Club of Preston, England. With support from UK Sports, funding for the initiative was given by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through its offices in Barbados.

The NPC-SVG gained membership to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 2015. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence, and to develop sport opportunities for all persons with a disability, from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

These values are enshrined in the motto of NPC-SVG: Ability to Win!

In 2014, the NPC-SVG sponsored a series of coaching workshops in sporting disciplines, including swimming, table tennis, bocce and athletics, with more than 35 interested athletes. It is eager to spread the word to all national sportsmen and women with an interest in the Paralympic ideal to register their individual interests in training for the next summer and winter Paralympic Games and beyond.

NPC-SVG, according to Ayana Baisden, a member of the Board, is the only national sports organization responsible for sending athletes to the Paralympic Games, through our partnership interaction with all national sporting associations and affiliates — including the USA’s Special Olympics, whose mandate is to provide opportunities for all persons with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports.

Shirnan Jacobs, another member of the NPC Board, disclosed that the NPC Inc Board comprises local Vincentians who were chosen for their individual pursuits in fostering inclusion in sport, culture and community development.

In the regional context, NPCs are signatories to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the regional National Olympic Committees for the development of Paralympic Sport. In addition, they are in the process of drafting similar MOU support with external sports clubs in Canada and Northern England.

Jacobs, who graduated in Cuba, stated that the NPC’s intention is to develop world class athletes in swimming, football, sitting volleyball, goal ball (sight impaired) and athletics disciplines, like power lifting, running, shot-put, sailing, rowing and other disciplines, depending on the Vincentian talent we find on our shores and beyond.

NPC’s president Trevor Daniel noted that research indicates that sporting facilities for persons with disabilities are almost non-existent in St Vincent and the Grenadines. For example, there is poor wheelchair access to venues and little or no indoor sporting facilities. He stated that his “five-year strategic plan, currently in preparation, will address those short-falls in the medium to long term since NPC Inc is intent on providing our athletes with a suitable indoor venue, even though it may be basic at first offering.”

When asked to comment on the recently concluded games in Toronto 2015, president Daniel remarked: “Jose Luis Campo, president of the IPC, used a quote from Brazilian football five-a-side footballer and (Para) Toronto 2015 gold medallist Jefinho to illustrate the impact of the Games recently concluded, where St Vincent and the Grenadines’s able-bodied Olympic squad participated to qualify for Rio 2016: ‘When you see para-sport, you do not see disability; you see real talent’.”

And similar sentiments were reported by some of SVG’s Olympic squad who had the opportunity to interact with their Para Olympian brothers in sport.

The Parapan Toronto 2015 Games ended with 18 of the 28 participating countries winning at least one medal. Bermuda won their first ever Parapan medal, a gold, courtesy of T53 wheelchair racer Jessica Lewis, and Trinidad and Tobago won their first ever Parapan titles, thanks to F53 thrower Akeem Stewart in the discus and javelin events. We very much hope that NPC-SVG will finally make a mark for St Vincent and the Grenadines.

If you have an interest in Paralympic Sport, the NPC-SVG urges you to contact them. Although we are close to Rio 2016, it is expected that wild cards will be granted, as a newly formed NPC, in at least two sporting disciplines. Contact the NPC-SVG via the National Sports Council or call 784-430-9235. More information can be obtained from the IPC website: www.ipc.org.