NDP launches National Athlete Programme to create more opportunity for young people

Participants at the March 2 launch of the programme pictured with NDP Member of Parliament (MP) for East Kingstown – Mr. Fitzgerald Bramble. Photo by NDP.

By Admin. Updated 10:24 a.m., Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The New main opposition Democratic Party (NDP) said it launched a national sports programme to create more opportunities for young people.

In a press release, the NDP said the programme is called the National Athlete Program.

The programme was launched on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at a Sports Day in West Kingstown, according to the press release.

It is designed to support local athletes to achieve their potential, the release stated.

“The programme launched by the NDP is designed to offer athletes financial support on an ongoing basis. The NDP has contrasted this with the ULP government’s piecemeal approach to support athletes. This new approach will deliver for the whole country. The new programme will provide financial support for athletes,” the NDP said in the release.

According to the release, President of the NDP, Honourable Dr. Godwin Friday said: “We are proud to launch our National Athlete Program today. This programme will create a national programme, similar to the national scholarship program to support local athlete to reach their potential. The ULP has continually neglected to develop our country’s sporting talent. As recent news stories have shown, support to our athletes is unreliable and inadequate. One-off sponsorship of particular athletes is simply not good enough and a new approach is required.”

According to the release, Fitz Bramble said: “The NDP will deliver that new approach. Our national athlete programme will ensure promising and outstanding athletes have the ongoing financial support to reach their goals. We want athletes to be able to train, compete and win safe in the knowledge that they have the support needed to achieve their goals. This programme is part of our ongoing commitment to young people, to give them a future, to ensure they can build a life here in SVG.”

The release said: “Dr Friday announced that he asked Dwight Fitz Bramble to continue to lead the party’s efforts to develop this policy. Over the coming week there will be a series of meetings with major sports organisations and other groups and people with interest. The party will develop the policy proposal in more detail and announce later in the year”.