Basketball Federation urged to get the Sport going again

The hierarchy of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympics Committee (SVGOC), is not impressed with the current state of Basketball here, and the operations of the sitting executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Basketball Federation(SVGBF).

In fact, president of the SVGOC, Stephen Joachim, has deemed the sport at this juncture to be ”inactive”.

Joachim’s assessment was made at a special general meeting, held last Tuesday, January 31, at the conference room of Xpert Computer Centre.

Called to give brief remarks at that meeting, a frank Joachim told those present: “Right now, Basketball is inactive as far as the NOC is concerned …You guys are doing nothing… Basketball should be a big and important sport in this country and it is very sad to see where Basketball is; it is very, very sad.”

His comments drew approval from the majority of members in the audience.

Joachim thus chided the present Rohan Providence – led executive for some of the tardiness, and not the COVID- 19 pandemic, which is often used as a reason for inactivity.

“Covid had been done over a year ago… Every other sport is trying to do something… Netball is doing stuff, Volleyball is trying to do stuff …we want Basketball to do stuff…let us start doing something, let us not wait until the sport is done,” Joachim advised.

But as the SVGOC president lamented the present conditions, he asked of all connected to the sport to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

“It can’t be about our ego. We have to put aside the petty animosities and realise we have to move forward now… We have to work together…focus on the important picture, and the important picture is the kids playing Basketball,” Joachim admonished.

Sharing the same view as Joachim was SVGOC general secretary, Keith Joseph, who advised the Basketball fraternity on the way forward.

“ Forget all the animosity and things gone by…make a fresh start and let everybody who registers show a commitment to the sport and we hold you to that commitment, and let us see if we can do better going forward…That is the best we can do, otherwise we’re not worth staying in existence,” Joseph recommended.

Prior to last Tuesday’s meeting the SVGBF was stuck in ascertaining its membership , hence the special general meeting was called to have the matter clarified.

However, Joseph advised persons attending the meeting and the executive of the SVGBF, to sort out the membership by accepting those who come forward, thus cutting down on some of the intricacies of the process.

Joseph thus suggested, and it was agreed by those in attendance, that a meeting be held on February, 20, to determine who had registered so as to facilitate the annual general meeting at the end of the month.

The SVGBF has for many years been grappling with administrative issues, which has resulted in the absence of a National Basketball Championship over a protracted period.

Rohan Providence and his executive were installed in July, 2019, but have had a rocky road, as elected and co-opted members have since resigned.