Sports Minister, Justina Charles, has told the 9th annual sports awards ceremony at the Fort Young Hotel that as a government is cognizant of the role that sports plays in transforming and strengthening the country.
Thirty-nine awards were distributed at the function with Randolph Peltier and Kasika Samuel, two national footballers, copping the Sportsman and woman of the year award.
“As we recolonize your achievement in the field of sports, the theme is inviting you to use this as a platform to build on your success, to go beyond receiving by sharing your talents with those who will your footsteps,” Charles said.
She stated that the role that participating in sports plays in creating and promoting positivity within the society must never be underestimated.
“Instead, let us appreciate how these activities provide an avenue for greater socialization, promoting discipline, effective time management greater sense of pride and respect. There is also a correlation between all of these qualities sports and academic achievements,” the Sports Minister stated.
According to her, it is hoped that physical exercise will eventually become a component of the country’s lifestyle activities.
“This brings to focus the need for other programmes outside the school system to promote continuation of these physical education programmes. It is therefore incumbent on our national associations, sports groups and clubs to put programmes in place that are geared towards continuing or strengthening out of school or community programmes,” she remarked.
She warned that it is clear sports programmes cannot happen in isolation and as such government continues to embark on the development and improvements to the islands playing facilities.
“In March of this year (2015) we had a visit by a group from a lighting company out of Barbados,” Charles revealed. “This group visited 22 playing fields around the island to carry out studies in order to determine the possibility of lighting these fields which included the Lindo Park in Goodwill. The intention is to install special solar lights at these playing fields using available technology.”
She continued, “As a government, we will continue to engage the various national sports associations with a view to facilitating their plans and programmes be it in the area of grassroots or facility development. The path of developing a comprehensive sports programme geared at preparing our athletics for national and international recognition is clear. As a way forward, we will work towards the completion and implementation of our sports policy since we believe that a sound Sports Policy will contribute to the holistic development of our sports men and women and all sports related activities. To this end, the government has engaged and individual whose role will be to put the mechanisms in place to have a review of the draft Sports Policy. The role of this individual will also extend to the development of a framework for setting up the National Sports Council which will serve as an umbrella body for the various sporting organizations. It is hoped that the various consultations with key stakeholders that are expected to be held as part of this process will lead to a greater delivery of sports within our society.”
In order to compete regionally or even internationally, playing fields alone are not going to cut it. We also need sporting facilities with trained personnel to assist people in the various disciplines of sports. Sports doesn’t only include basketball, cricket, netball, volleyball, athletics and football. We need proper tennis courts, swimming pools, cycling arenas and other indoor sporting facilities so people can train more efficiently.
Only fools will believe this…..clown.
Did she mention Lindo Park? No matter what ur lazy regime does to Lindo Park, Danny will emerge as the initiator, and HERO!!!!
Yes… but 5 years now the young ppl of laplaine doe have a playingfield… so long dem ppl destroy our playing field saying they doin upgrade…. that make how much cycles on gis “your govt is working”. but up till now…. wat has resulted?? no exaggeration 90% of. Young men in the village smoke marijuana and drink for leisure instead of sports….shame petter….shame labor
De Lady has to talk for her money she getting every month, oui !!!. Where has sports gone in Dominica? Backwards to say the least. Witness the weakest, most inefficient Minister of Sports and to add insult to injury Culture too added to that Ministry.
Entire communities, youth, within the Roseau area have been treated with arrogance and contempt. Windsor Park stadium closed down to them, because the facility cannot be used to train, practice, develop their skills.
Grandbay has one of the best playing fields on island, yet sports in Grandbay dead. Who is the Minister of Sports? Parl Rep too??
What kind of Minister of Sports would support the stopping, blocking of a project to fence and light a playing field, in Lindo Park, that have produced so many talented sportsmen and women? What bold-face arrogance and disrespect for community based orgs. like sports groups? And now, talking glibly about the importance of sports !!!
Sports has declined…
Or is it because they got wind of the Government plans for improving the playing fields in Dominica and suddenly they are working on Lindo Park without proper permission? Knowing fully well the project would have to be halted by the authorities; hoping their supporters will say, alas, the opposition is trying to do something and the government is preventing them? Thank God; the needle in the haystack was found.
The government need to see all the plans and all the money received for the project including a financial statement before allowing it to proceed. We talk about transparency but it cannot be for only one side. Just because you decide to do something on government land without the proper permission, that property does not belong to a committee or an individual; it remains public property keep this in mind.
Yea but where are the facilities? where is the equipment? why cant everyone use windsor park like how it used to be used? what happened to the fitness and sports facility that was promised to go behind the stadium? why isnt sports tourism (ON ALL LEVELS primary secondary tertiary national/pro) encouraged? why do our local playing fields / courts look like crap? why did the government take the only tennis court facility in Roseau where you could also play squash, badminton, billiards and darts and make it the home for homeless (and don’t say the courts still there because the place is deplorable). Yes but still government talking an talking about sports is important. Yes it is, but we need the PROPER facilities in a COMPREHENSIVE WELL THOUGHT OUT MANNER which you have yet to provide.
Justina must realize carnival is over. She sings the same tune every year. Every sporting activity she visited last year, the young people were told about her Government’s intensions to repair their playing grounds. She doesn’t have the power to tell her boss to clear the way and allow the Goodwill Improvement Committee to improve and light the Lindo party, she is talking about the lighting of 22 playing fields. If Justina is serious, why doesn’t she visit Lindo Park, work is already in progress, make her own assessment and report her findings to Skeritt and allow Danny and his group to continue their work. Then, her concerns would be down to the lighting of 21 playing fields.
typo: light the lindo park .
As we recolonize ? This is a little bit tough ….was there an extermination of race ,speecie, among animals or people ? i am confused…
Having said that Justina, what do you plan to do about the state of the playing fields in Dominica? And the lack of sporting facilities? Its all well and good to elaborate on the benefits of sports to the nationals of the country, but when you as the minister don’t do a whole lot towards ensuring the facilities are in place you might as well not say anything…
For obvious reasons i don’t believe much of what you just said.
Don’t even make reference to Lindo Park…..Danny and de committee have been doing there work outside of your input.
julius timothy was de last pal rep. for Goodwill and no idea remotely close to lighting the field was considered to promote sports and youth activities in Roseau North.
You trying to roadblock our parl rep. because fruits of his labor appear to be coming to fast!!
De callers to Kairi Heng program don’t want Danny and de committee to light up de field.
Is DE LABOR PARTY they want to see do it. to give SKERRIT all de praise over our Parl. Rep head.
SORRY LOSERS!!!!!
Nothing will pass thru without Government/Labor Party influence/interference
You and de sports ministry doing your fair share to damage to future prospects for our youths in the area.
They now see you all as roadblocks.
You lack team spirit.
You don’t even know how to fake an olive branch!
Fake!!!!!!