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• Dora Henry takes charge of St Lucia Athletics with bold vision for development

  Newly elected president of St Lucia Athletics, Dora Henry, has outlined an ambitious plan to build on the legacy established by Olympian Julien Alfred, whose historic achievements in 2024 have propelled St Lucia onto the global athletics stage. Henry was elected last weekend, succeeding Brendaline DesCartes, who stepped down due to other commitments.

   Henry inherits an organization riding high on Alfred’s unprecedented success, which included winning the World Indoor 60m title in Glasgow, the Olympic 100m gold medal in Paris, and the Diamond League 100m title in Zurich. Alfred, the first St Lucian to achieve these feats, was honored with a EC$1 million award, a statue, and the renaming of St Lucia’s main highway in her name.

   “Some of the short-term goals would be to develop more grassroots programmes, even athlete development and support,” Henry said. “I know I have a huge task in my hand because of the success of the Olympic medals, everybody thinks it is possible so creating the avenues for our athletes to develop via workshops, camps just to maintain the momentum and even reviewing our athletes’ performances to identify our strengths and areas where we could improve.”

   

  From left to right: Back row: PRO Jonathan Emmanuel, Secretary Wayne Benti, Treasurer Cornelius Breen. Front Row: Floor Representatives- Lisa Joseph, Laricia Laurent, Asst. Secretary Cornelia Ann Shirley Lubin, 2nd Vice President - Patrick Mathurin, President - Dora Henry

  Henry is focused on strengthening grassroots programs, enhancing elite athlete development, and ensuring that young athletes in schools are better integrated into the sport through community engagement and targeted initiatives.

   “Again, a lot of community engagement, meet with our athletes, the young ones, develop programmes for them, promote athletics in our schools, launching tournaments. I have a lot to get done in the short term but taking things step by step, day by day,” she added.

   A key challenge Henry aims to address is the lack of certified infrastructure and sufficient resources for athletes on the island. “Our infrastructure and resources, we don’t have the best; our main stadium is currently not certified and is not in the best state. However, we have to continue to conduct our assessment of our facilities and some of our equipment.”

   Henry also plans to prioritize coaching education, an area she feels is critical for long-term athlete development. “As we speak, we do not have a large pool of qualified coaches. It has been my desire to push for the education of our coaches. It is our hope to push our coaches to educate themselves, get the training opportunities so they can do better with training our athletes. So, for sure education and training is top on our mandate.”

   

  First Vice President Makeba Alcide

  To achieve her goals, Henry is committed to collaborating with key stakeholders, including the government and local communities. “One of our top priorities is to ensure that we have those connections with the government of St Lucia and Minister of Youth Development and Sports. Early on in our term we will be having those meetings with key stakeholders to ensure we get all that we plan to get those opportunities for our young athletes.”

   Henry believes the momentum generated by Alfred’s success provides an ideal foundation to implement these changes and raise the profile of athletics in St Lucia. With her leadership, she hopes to not only sustain but also expand the sport’s impact on the island and beyond.

   

   

   

• Aliann Pompey, Brendan Williams, and Hazel-Ann Regis to lead development of CANOC Athletes’ Commission - Keith Joseph

  The Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) has announced a significant step forward in athlete advocacy with the establishment of a dedicated CANOC Athletes’ Commission. Leading this initiative are three distinguished former athletes: Guyana’s Aliann Pompey, Dominica’s Brendan Williams, and Grenada’s Hazel-Ann Regis. The trio, each an accomplished advocate and leader in their own right, will spearhead the commission’s development, as announced by CANOC President Keith Joseph.

   This announcement follows a busy period for CANOC, including the successful XIII Annual CANOC Workshop, XXII Annual General Assembly, and the inaugural CANOC Caribbean Awards Gala. Recognizing the critical role of athletes in the Caribbean’s sporting achievements, Joseph emphasized the importance of creating a platform for athletes to actively contribute to regional sports development.

   “We consistently claim that we are about our athletes,” Joseph said. “Our Caribbean athletes have been delivering outstanding performances on our region’s behalf at all Games, contributing significantly to the enhancement of our status among nations involved in the global Olympic Movement.”

   The CANOC Athletes’ Commission aims to serve as a forum where athletes can openly discuss their unique challenges and aspirations, making meaningful contributions to the region’s sporting growth. The commission also seeks to empower athletes with a voice at the administrative level of CANOC, ensuring they play a vital role in shaping the future of Caribbean sport.

   The leadership team is well-equipped for the task. Aliann Pompey, a former 400m specialist and four-time Olympian, previously served as President of the Panam Sports Athletes’ Commission, bringing years of experience in athlete representation. Brendan Williams, a former Commonwealth Games high jumper from Dominica, currently chairs the Commonwealth Games Association Athletes’ Commission. Hazel-Ann Regis, Grenada’s former 400m Olympian, leads Grenada’s Athletes’ Commission, adding further expertise to the initiative.

   “The mandate for the first phase of the establishment of the CANOC Athletes’ Commission has been confidently placed in their hands,” Joseph said. “They are all eminently qualified and experienced advocates for the cause of athletes.”

   The move aligns with CANOC’s vision to strengthen its role as the Caribbean’s premier sporting organization. With the advent of the Caribbean Games and ongoing stellar performances by the region’s athletes, the commission is expected to enhance the region’s influence within the global Olympic Movement.

   CANOC also urged its affiliates that have not yet established their own Athletes’ Commissions to do so, offering support to help them take the necessary steps.

   The CANOC Athletes’ Commission promises to be a pivotal addition to the organization, ensuring athletes have a seat at the decision-making table and a platform to drive progress in Caribbean sport.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Ephraim Serette to challenge for NAAA TT presidency with plans for high-performance centre and youth development

  Former president of the National Association of Athletics Administrations of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAA TT), Ephraim Serette, has announced his intention to run for the presidency of the organization at its Annual General Meeting on November 30, 2024. Serette, who stepped down in 2020 to take up a government advisory role, now seeks to return to the helm, citing a renewed vision for the development of athletics in Trinidad and Tobago.

  Serette, a former sprinter who gained prominence by defeating Olympic champion Hasely Crawford to win the 100m senior national title in 1977, explained his decision to Sportsmax.TV earlier this week.

  “I would have stepped down from office to take up the position of advisor to the Minister of Sport. I thought it would have been a conflict of interest to be advisor to the minister and heading a national governing body. That has ended, and during that time, because of my passion and commitment to the sport, I’ve never really moved away. I continued to be around the sport, and during those years, clubs and athletes have been saying, ‘We need you back.’”

  During his previous tenure as president, Serette introduced several impactful initiatives, including registering the association as a non-profit, securing significant sponsorship deals such as a three-year, $12 million Memorandum of Understanding with the National Gas Company, and creating transparent policies for athlete selection.

  “I ran the association through the eyes of an athlete because, as an athlete, there was a big gap between the administration and athletes. I bridged that gap where athletes could have communicated with the board, website, policies for selection — a number of procedures and policies that were developed under my watch,” he said.

  Serette outlined an ambitious agenda should he reclaim the presidency, including plans to establish a high-performance centre to develop elite athletes, strengthen school-level engagement, and rebrand the organization.

  “One of my major projects is to develop a high-performance centre,” he revealed. “I need to work with the Ministry of Sport, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Youth Development, and the Ministry of Health. If I can get those four ministries to come on board, funding can come from each of these ministries. We need to identify athletes and get in their minds what they are preparing for; it’s more than just training to make a team.”

  Serette stressed the importance of working with schools to identify talent at an early stage, aligning athletes with clubs, and building a more robust support structure. He also plans to collaborate with the Primary and Secondary Schools Track and Field Associations and implement programs inspired by Jamaica’s successful school-based sports model.

  “We will work closely with the schools, identifying athletes and aligning them to clubs in the districts. The Minister of Education is on board with coaches coming into schools and trying to align schools to clubs because our system is club-based, not like in Jamaica where the sport is school-based.”

  Another key focus for Serette is engaging corporate sponsors and revitalizing partnerships to fund athlete development. He also aims to address the trend of young athletes leaving Trinidad to pursue opportunities abroad.

  “What I am seeing happening here is that at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, they are not developing programs to attract our athletes to stay home. There is also another major development where young athletes are now leaving Trinidad to go to school in Jamaica. These are some of the things we have to address.”

  Reflecting on the state of athletics in Trinidad and Tobago, Serette emphasized the need to cultivate a winning mentality among athletes.

  “What I am seeing with our athletes is that many of them are satisfied with just making teams. Yes, there are only three medals to be won, but when you go to these competitions, it should be about doing a best performance that takes you to the next level.”

  With a vision centered on youth development, high-performance training, and re-engaging stakeholders, Serette believes his leadership can help the NAAA TT address current challenges and set a new trajectory for success. The stage is now set for a highly anticipated contest between Serette and incumbent president George Commissiong, who succeeded him in 2020.