| Silver Jubilee Stadium Upgraded Thanks to Canadian Sports Group |
| By Teshell Samuel |
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Hon. Glen Phillip with some of the new equipment |
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The Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium was recently the beneficiary of a US$60,000 equipment donation, courtesy of Athletics Canada. The addition of the state-of-the-art gym equipment will help make the sporting facility a high performance center.
Athletics Canada gifted the equipment to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis during a handing over ceremony at the stadium on Saturday (Jan. 14). The new gym is now outfitted with over 4000lbs of free weights, a new ice bath and other equipment will be utilized for training athletes as well as a rehabilitation center for injured athletes.
President of the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur Athletic Association Glen Jeffers spoke briefly during the presentation and expressed gratitude to Canada for reaching out to the small islands of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Yes we compete with you within the athletic arena but it is great when the large nations reach out to the small ones because it goes a long way in leveling the playing field, so to speak,” Jeffers said.
“While we may never beat you over all because of our small team, actions like this help with the development of athletics worldwide.”
Minister of Sports, the Hon. Glen Phillip cut the ribbon and officially declared the gym open. He thanked Desai Williams; a national of St. Kitts who migrated to Canada and the man behind the donation. He labeled Williams as a “true son of the soil” for his hard work and dedication that brought the benefits of the partnership between both countries to fruition.
The Minister further indicated that local athletes stand to benefit greatly from the donation, being able to “train the right way” under the watchful eyes of coaches and officials of from the SKNAAA rather than at a local gym.
In addition to the top officials from Athletic Canada visiting St. Kitts for the ceremony, an athletic delegation also travelled with the group as part of their annual training visits to the Federation. During this cycle Women’s Olympic 100m Hurdles Champion Priscilla Lopes-Schliep was among the delegation. These visits were also organized by Desai Williams back in 2008.
Head Coach of Athletics Canada, Alex Gardiner, speaking to the training excursion to the Federation, explained that St. Kitts and Nevis was a very special place for his organization.
“We have an opportunity to train at unrestricted times, with a superior hotel to stay at and superior nutrition food. These are elements that are absolutely fundamental and essential to world class performance,” he said.
This donation of gym equipment is the second instance in recent times of the Canadians coming to the aid of the twin-island Federation.
In September of last year, the St. Kitts-Nevis Agricultural Youth Forum accepted a grant from the Canadian High Commission that was placed towards the construction of two shade houses; one on a school farm in Needsmust on St. Kitts and a second at the Gingerland Secondary School on Nevis. Both facilities have since been built and will be officially handed over to the Ministry of Education on both islands at the end of January. |
