The Dominica Football Association (DFA) and The Dominica Amateur Basketball Association (DABA) are facing unprecedented times in the management of sports on the island.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges within the sporting sector that athletes continue to face, according to the administrators of those sporting organizations.
At the Ministry of Health Covid-19 Update on Friday, President of DFA, Glen Etienne said as an association, it is their primary responsibility to develop football in the country.
“Firstly, we have had to cancel the 2021 League season due to the increased number of cases on island and the existing state protocols, which does not permit competitive play. However, we do understand that the health and safety of all players comes first. Secondly, our under-17 girls’ team were unable to participate in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) under 17 qualifiers as some persons from the delegation contracted the virus during the time that they were due for travel,” Etienne explained.
He said DFA is currently participating in the CONCACAF under 20 qualifiers in the Dominican Republic and all players and coaching staff are vaccinated.
He pointed out that as an association, DFA is guided by the COVID-19 Protocols of the state and has therefore, not imposed any vaccination mandate for their affiliates but the Association encourages vaccination out of concern for its stakeholders and the public health by extension.
“I am fully vaccinated and have not regretted getting vaxxed; as far as I can see, it works,” he declared. “We urge everyone of you to stay safe, follow all the covid-19 guidelines so that you can protect yourself and your families.”
The DFA president says he looks forward to the day when football will be played in all football fields across the island unaffected and with limited restrictions.
Meantime President of DABA, Peter Ricketts has chosen to take action by engaging stakeholders such as the International Basketball Federation, FIBA, the Dominica Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Health and the Sports Division in order to plot a pathway back to the courts.
“As a first step of our action plan, we partnered with the Ministry of Health CoVID-19 vaccination unit to host a successful virtual education session on Thursday, November 11th, to answer the questions and concerns of the basketball fraternity about the COVID-19 vaccines.”
DABA seeks to implement a Restart and Oversight Committee and have engaged Sylvester John Baptiste of the Red Cross to serve as its official COVID-19 compliance officer.
Additionally, according to the DABA president, the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 vaccination unit will be seeking input from the teams represented on that committee in order to gain realistic insights into the effects of the pandemic on those teams and communities.
“This team is tasked to create a phased national restart plan; furthermore, each community will be responsible for completing their own restart plan and submitting it to the Dominica Amateur Basketball Association for review and approval by the committee,” Ricketts noted.
He said assessment tools will be provided in order to assist in this task and each team also has to prepare their own COVID-19 plan to show that they are prepared to take on, and implement the measures necessary to keep their athletes safe.
SHame on the Leadership of the Football and Basketball Fraternities. You have Failed the Youth of the Nation. At this stage both organizations should have presented a plan of action to the Government as to the restart of their respective sporting disciplines. Protocols now allow people to attend church services within a closed building up to 100 persons. Why can’t organized Sport return ? The Ministry of Sports should also have outlined a plan to gradually allow the recommencement of Sports. Too much talk !!! #Letusplay
Mr. Etienne can you please inform the general public why is it that the U17 women’s national team were not placed in a ‘bubble’ at least one month before the tournament date? Also, why did the U20 men’s national team went into a bubble only 1 week before the team departed? The DFA receives money from CONCACAF for participation in these tournaments and FIFA also gives money for both Women and Men’s football. what comprehensive proposal has your association brought to the government to assist in seeing the restart of football? You and your association should take a page from Mr. Ricketts and the DABA and their approach in light of the covid situation.
Realistically we can resume the playing of Sport. Let’s start by asking all participating Teams to ensure there players who want to participate are fully vaccinated.. All of our sporting events are played outdoors therefore making it more practical to achieve our goals. If we look at how it played out with all the major sporting events around the World we don’t have to redo the template that already exists. Our sports men and women need to be engaged in the various disciplines . We have to adjust our lives to Covid . #Letsplaysports
stupes, outside they be in clean air, let them play
Now alone Rickets trying to figure out de impact of covid-19 on de teams?
I suspect some people were deliberately avoiding working with Maggie….. almost 2 years we under covid-19.
Some people want shine for themselves….. let me see how successful you will turn out to be.