Unanimous: Changes in sports needed

THE CALL WAS unanimous by the panel consisting of Jules Snagg, Roxell John, Chelsea Cordice and Alexandra Walrond, last Saturday, September, 6, 2025, at the Beachcombers Hotel Conference Room, that radical changes need to be made in the way sports in St Vincent and the Grenadines is conceptualized, and executed.

The quartet was part of the second edition of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee’s Athletes Commission and All Athletes Inc.’s Amplify Achieve Ignite Athletes’ Forum, when they made their assessment of the current state of Physical Education and Sports here in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Snagg pointed to the need to have Physical Education done at the lowest level of the education spectrum.

“I have had to work with some kids recently and I have had to teach them …running technique which, when you think of the concept of running, if we don’t start tackling it when their brains are doing that wiring set up, it’s [going to] be difficult when they come to you at 12 to run[because] the technique of running isn’t in their make-up, that’s really hard to teach a 12- year – old”, Snagg pointed out.

John similarly identified the need to do the fundamentals of running, jumping and throwing at the earliest possible time in children’s motor skills development.

“We need a little restart; restart with all these positive aspects that we know can benefit our nation and our young people in a much more beneficial way,” John said.

“ We are basically waiting until [it is] very late to have our student- athletes exposed to the fundamentals.The fundamentals must be taught at the primary school level, or as early as possible so when they get to the national teams we don’t need to be teaching the basics any more”.

Meanwhile, Cordice cited the need to get bigger grass-roots programmes going, while creating a more meaningful sporting landscape.

“Right now, it is just a hobby when it is time for us to put on a little show and say we are doing this.We need to have a uniformed structure, something to guide the coaches, the PE (Physical Education) teachers to go along with,” she noted.

On the matter of early engagement of structured physical activities, Cordice observed that “Lots of kids have no coordination. I have 13-year-olds that can’t do high knees, butt kicks.We need some kind of structure asap”.

And Walrond pointed to the need to have an indoor facility for some disciplines to thrive without the hindrance of adverse weather conditions.

Walrond also called on people with the know-how to get involved in Team Athletics SVG’s Kids Athletics programme.

“If it is we have persons who are qualified or interested sports enthusiast, maybe they can come to office, or email me or message me, let us see if we can work with them.We are trying from our end for building in the grass-root area,” Walrond stated.

The forum, attended by representatives of the SVGOC, also saw broad participation for other well wishers and stakeholders.