There is a move by the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) to help sports administrators sharpen their skills and Sports Minister, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, has lauded this initiative.

Dr. Byer Suckoo said that some local associations were not being managed as efficiently as she would like and opined that this training would significantly assist the administrators.

She made the comments yesterday during the official opening of the Sports Administration Course at the BOA Headquarters. Thirty-two persons from 17 federations, including cycling, swimming, track and field, boxing, badmington and netball, are currently undertaking the training.

It will be held on weekends until October 18 and some of the areas to be examined include sports medicine and doping control, strategic planning and problem-solving, factors affecting the sports movement, challenges facing developing countries and women in sport, payments to athletes and violence and harassment.

Minister Byer Suckoo told the gathering that a lot of what happens in sports in Barbados was hinged on the current administrators. She said it was felt that successful athletes were expected to be good administrators in sports, although they were not given any training. She therefore urged the course participants to take advantage of the educational sessions and make their mark in the development of sports.

Lamenting that some sporting organisations were approaching her ministry very late requesting funds to assist persons with overseas travel, she stressed that until such situations were improved, sports would not take off.

Dr. Byer Suckoo said that the authorities knew where they wanted to take sports in Barbados, but stressed that they had to be realistic because of the difficult times being faced. “I believe our sports programme can still be developed with what we have … and we have told the National Sports Council that we can develop a sports programme to improve what we have without a whole set of money,” she stated.

According to her, there was a need to look at the human and physical resources with a view to improving what was there, so it could be managed more efficiently. 

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