A call has gone out for all sporting organisations to adopt the International Olympic Committee???s mandate of accepting ???principles of good governance as a minimum standard???.
This was issued by Minister of Sports, Stephen Lashley, as he delivered the address which signalled the official opening of the Olympic Solidarity Forum for English speaking countries, and the Annual General Assembly of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC).
It is being held at the Hilton Barbados, with over 26 participating countries.
The meetings, which are being hosted by the Barbados Olympic Association, will focus on the experiences of participants with regards to the implementation of principles of good governance within their National Olympic Committees.
Mr. Lashley noted that the sharing of best practices in sports is an important part of setting higher standards of governance in sports worldwide, and affirmed the government???s support to this component of our local sporting development.
???I fully endorse these principles ??? To ignore them, in my view can undermine the development of sports and can heighten suspicion about unethical behaviour and even allegations of corruption.
???Due to the number of oftentimes disastrous controversies that envelop some sporting bodies, we need to go a step further by establishing a specific process for securing compliance to these standards by sports organisations,??? the Minister stressed.
Describing the topic of good governance practices as a ???critical issue???, he stated: ???A full appreciation of the principles of good governance has the potential to redound to more robust and professionally-run sports associations and federations, to the benefit of our societies and ultimately, to our respective nations as a whole.???
The Olympic Solidarity Forum and CANOC General Assembly will culminate this Friday, October 17.
sharifa.medford@barbados.gov.bb