HE HAS WORN MANY HATS, but the one he is most remembered for is introducing the CARIFTA athletic meet to the region, and becoming the ultimate face of the CARIFTA Games.
In 1972, the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) was celebrating its silver anniversary and president of the body, Sir Austin Sealy, who assumed the position in 1970, decided to host an event to commemorate the milestone.
“One of the events I decided on for celebrating the anniversary was the CARIFTA Games, by inviting Caribbean territories to come to Barbados for a junior athletic meet. Ten countries came on board at that time and with 250 competitors, the event was a resounding success.
“The rest, as they say, is history. The entire Caribbean liked what they saw and I remember Dr Jesse Noel, then president of the Trinidad Athletic Federation, and the Jamaican group said, ‘We cannot allow this to die, Austin. You have to continue it’. Trinidad agreed to host the event the following year and Jamaica jumped on board to host it in 1974,” he said.
Explaining that there was no CARIFTA organisation, Sir Austin pointed out that as long as a country agreed to host the event, every detail was left up to them to decide.
“If you are the host it is left entirely to you to set the dates and invite the region. The programme is set by you. We would meet and decide where we are going the following year, but we always know two years in advance, so we already know that next year is Curacao, 2018 is Nassau [The Bahamas] and 2019 is Cayman,” he said.
Describing his role as pivotal over the years, Sir Austin has been at the forefront of CARIFTA for more than two decades, and he has always strived to improve the Games.
“I became president of the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) in 1980, so when CARIFTA was returning to Barbados in 1985 I felt like I couldn’t just have a meet with track and field events, and I decided it was time to broaden the horizon, and expanded to include six other disciplines; boxing, cycling, shooting, swimming, table tennis, lawn tennis.
“All associations of the respective Games willingly came on board, but unfortunately my thinking was not shared by all of the Olympic colleagues in the region. The only entity that came fully on board was Guyana. However, they did not object to the BOA contacting their national federations in their disciplines that I wanted CARIFTA to include. And in 1985, the first multi-game CARIFTA meet was a huge success.
“It remained that way for five editions and in 1989, the last instalment of the multi-games, we had 1900 participants, which I think is still the largest sporting event to ever take place here involving competitors. Then in 1989 they took a decision that they wanted to revert to doing their own thing,” he said as his voice trailed off.
CARIFTA has now has evolved from the ten countries it started with to almost 30; the French, the Dutch and one Spanish-speaking country.
“I don’t know how many were missing at this year’s meet but there were at least 25 or 26 there. It has been held every year without exception since inception, and we just finished our 45th instalment, which concluded in Grenada. I tip my hat to all the athletic federations who have continued with the meet to provide the opportunity for the young people of the region,” he said, beaming proudly.
Sir Austin is well respected by many across the region and in 1993 became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a title he holds with honour.
“When I was elected, for the next 15 or 16 years I was the only member in the Caribbean. St Lucia now has a member, and I think, he like myself, reaches the age limit within this coming decade,” he said with a smile.
Adding that he supports the games wherever and whenever he can, he admitted he is not always up to date with what is going on in Barbados.
“I spend so little time on the ground in Barbados, so I depend a lot on what is produced in the newspaper. If I am in the island and am invited, I certainly make every effort to attend whatever sporting activity it might be. I still think of myself as having more to contribute, and I still serve on the board of the National Olympic Committee . . . . So any assistance I can offer at any time is willingly available,” he said.
As for the young talent the island showcased at both the Barbados Secondary Schools Athletic Championships and CARIFTA Games, Sir Austin says moulding the athletes now is key to their achieving their goals, but it begins with the coach.
“Sada Williams is a special talent and, not choosing any favourites, I think Jonathan Jones is an even more special talent. They certainly are two very bright sparks on the horizon for Barbados. I hope they continue to work hard in the sport and achieve greatness at every level.
“It starts at the coaching level. I know we have a number of very dedicated individuals whom I have to assume have been given the opportunities to improve their knowledge so they are in a better position to impart to their charges the necessary basics. There is no exam for a coach, the basic principles are the same, but if I tell you at 6 o’ clock each morning to walk around the table 100 times, you might get better results than someone else.
“The athletes need guidance and then opportunities. The world body is looking for the next Usain Bolt. Bolt means 99 per cent to people worldwide when you talk about athletics. Without Bolt, it would become a pretty dull place. So where do we find the next Bolt? A good answer is possibly CARIFTA Games. Certainly the IAAF thinks that way and keep coming to see what we have to offer,” he added.
He, however, does not condone the idea that any one country has ever won the CARIFTA Games.
“One of the things I hate to see in the newspaper is that Jamaica won the CARIFTA Games, or Bahamas walked away with more golds. This is not a team competition, it is not high school. At CARIFTA Games the ratio of athletes is unbalanced as countries bring how many they can. CARIFTA is an individual competition with athletes striving to win their individual medals. I have never been party to producing a medals table at the end of the games,” he said matter-of-factly.
Starting in 1977, the Austin Sealy Award has been presented to the athlete adjudged the most outstanding, either in terms of record accomplishment, or quality of performance as compared with other top medallists. And what does it mean to the legend who has held many posts within the athletic world to have a trophy named for him?
“I feel very proud and honoured to have a trophy named after me. In 1976 in Bahamas we had a Barbadian runner called Trevor Small, who won the gold medal in the 800, 1500 and the 3000. Trevor was outstanding and got his gold medals and it was realised we did not have a recognition for any outstanding performance. And the trophy was first presented in 1977. The big one stays in the office of the winning country, while the top athlete is presented with a replica of the cup. I was hoping Barbados would have brought it home this year, but it was not to be. But I have my hopes up that next year for sure it will,” he said.
