Barbados may just be 166 square miles, but when it comes to sporting talent it has some of the best athletes in the world.
That view was expressed by Opposition Leader and leader of the Barbados Labour Party Mia Mottley during the Barbados Squash Club’s 40th anniversary dinner and awards ceremony at Bagatelle Great House, St Thomas, on Saturday night.
Mottley urged the association to continue its work in helping to develop the sport on the island.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the examples that have gone before us are only the sprinklings of what the future can hold in terms of the talent that this country has,” she told those in attendance.
“Pound for pound and ounce for ounce I believe that we have some of the best athletes in the world.”
But she warned that success was “not going to happen by serendipity”.
“It will take efforts from clubs such as yourselves, who can make time available to people who have never seen a squash ball before and to people who have never held a squash racquet.”
Mottley said that one of the main reasons behind the introduction of the LIME Pelican Challenge, in which she was involved, was to give footballers opportunities to showcase their skills.
She said that if athletes were not granted the opportunity to develop and show their talents, it did not bode well for that country’s development. Mottley also pointed to the fact that culture and sport had the ability to bring people together from different backgrounds.
During the night’s proceedings awards were handed out to individuals for their outstanding contributions to the club.
Leon Truss, Donald Duncan and Mark Sealy were given Longstanding Awards for having played the sport continuously for the past 30 years.
Ralph Johnson, Susette Edghill and Mickey Armstrong were among those receiving Cornerstone Awards.
