MINISTER OF SPORTS Stephen Lashley has made a call for the adoption of Olympic standards in the training of Barbadian athletes.
His call came last Friday as he addressed a reception to honour the 2015 CARIFTA Athletes and Under-16 Netball Team at the Wildey Gymnasium.
Lashley noted that there was a need for Barbadian sporting organisations to measure their athletes by international standards.
“I call for the adoption and fortification of Olympic standards and performance indicators as the benchmark by which our federations function and execute training and related programs….
Raising the bar to match that of successful nations cannot be over-emphasised, as an important measure for medalling as a nation in the more competitive championships,” he added.
The Minister called for sporting federations across the island to shift their focus from “just qualifying” and instead strive to win “by effecting benchmarks, programmes and mechanisms” that would undoubtedly be “the fastest route to achieving and producing world class athletes”.
Congratulating the athletes on their achievements, Lashley encouraged them to “dream big” and pursue their sporting passions.
Also in attendance at the event were star athletes Mary Fraser and Mario Burke; and Sir Austin Sealy, who is often credited as being the founder of the CARIFTA Games. (BGIS)
