By Karen Allen
Caribbean Net News Montserrat Correspondent
Email: karen@caribbeannetnews.com
BRADES, Montserrat: Montserrat’s government plans to embark on a major sports development programme that will provide significant opportunities for the country’s blooming sportsmen and women.
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| Montserrat's Chief Minister Lowell Lewis presenting certificates and saving vouchers to sports honorees. |
Chief Minister, Dr Lowell Lewis, is also the Minister of Sports. He says the program will focus on establishing facilities, expert coaching, and support for overseas travel opportunities.
Lewis says, “Our commitment is to use sports as one of the vehicles to ensure that our young people rise from the ashes of our volcano. Sports is not only character building, it is a giant in the field of economic regeneration, as we have seen in all the Caribbean islands during the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2007.”
In a press release, Montserrat’s Chief Minister highlighted that the government will attempt to integrate in regional leagues, which arise out of the plethora of new sporting facilities currently available in the Caribbean region.
Lewis says that this move will help to create a climate of achievement that will spur the youths of Montserrat to higher levels of performance, endurance, agility, coordination, flexibility, and attainment.
The country’s newly elected leader drove his point home recently by honoring Montserrat’s young sporting stars. Lewis recently paid tribute to two of Montserrat’s budding primary school sports stars during the annual Inter School Sports competition.
Victrix Ludorum, Lerian Weekes, and Victor Ludorum, KasJuan Sullivan, both received special certificates and savings vouchers worth two hundred Eastern Caribbean dollars.
In his capacity as Minister of Sports, Lewis has established a Minister of Sports Award that will be handed out to Montserrat’s top sports men and women to encourage the island’s young people to participate in sports and encourage financial thriftiness.
The Chief Minister said during the presentation ceremony, “I am Minister of Finance as well, and I think it is very important to encourage youngsters to save and plan for the future. So instead of giving you medals, I’m giving you savings vouchers to start you off with a saving account….”
The government of Montserrat has developed a number of short term sports development initiatives which also include the construction of a multi-purpose recreational facility at Little Bay, an enclosed basketball and gym complex, and the undertaking of improvements at the Look Out Village and School, to include the provision of a gymnasium and outdoor facilities. Other projects include the construction for a $100,000 school gymnasium.
Montserrat’s new major sporting development incentive promises to provide an environment capable of nurturing the country’s young sports men and women with the potential of being regional sports champions. |
