KIA gets reinvigoration

After an absence of about two years, Team Athletics SVG, the governing body for Track and Field here, is poised to restart its Kids In Athletics (KIA) programme.

As a prelude to its launch in the upcoming months, a try run and documentation of the various component activities took place on Saturday, January 29 at the Barrouallie Secondary School.

Eighteen activities, all encompassing the aspect of running, jumping and throwing, not only kept the participants energised, but provided some basic skills needed for events practised in track and field.

The lead person for St Vincent and the Grenadines’ programme, and Team Athletics SVG’s Technical Director, Chester Morgan initiated the activities which now await approval from World Athletics.

Morgan noted that the activities of the KIA programme were carefully crafted.

“In comparison to the previous programme, we have made it more fun based, while giving the children the fundamentals of some events”, Morgan explained.

As such, at Saturday’s session, participants were engaged in activities which are akin to the long jump, high jump, pole vault , discus, shot putt, triple jump, among others.

The Team Athletics SVG Technical Director projected that following the approval of the programme, a six week implementation will take place, as personnel from the Division of Physical Education and Sports, clubs and leaders of community -based organisations will be the resource base.

He further proposed that a festival will be staged at the end of the six weeks.

“ With the festival, you would find that some children would have multiple exposure to the programme, as their school, their club and possibly their community within that six -week time frame, which can only be better for the participants”, Morgan underscored.

Morgan is anticipating a rebirth of the KIA programme, in light of lay off in many outdoor sporting activities, occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.