by SHERRYLYN A. TOPPIN

CORPORATE BARBADOS has been urged once again to get on board and provide support for the island's emerging elite athletes.

This plea was made by Steve Stoute, president of the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA), and echoed by Freida Nicholls, head of the marketing and public relations department of the Barbados Port Inc, yesterday at the Olympic Centre, Wildey, St Michael.

The occasion marked the formal cementing of the agreement between the two bodies with the establishment of the Ryan Brathwaite Olympic Support Fund.

"We are delighted and heartened that the Barbados Port Inc has come to the support of the olympic movement and the young athletes of Barbados," Stoute said.

"We would certainly like the rest of corporate Barbados to join the Barbados Port Inc in supporting the Olympic movement and young athletes. When Ryan Brathwaite won his World Championship, there was general acclaim here in Barbados and many entities were anxious to be associated with his incredible achievement.

"What we have been saying at the Olympic Association for many, many years is, if we can get this support, this outpouring of support before a major event occurs, the sports community in Barbados would be able to produce a lot more Ryan Brathwaites."

Stoute said support from local businesses was limited.

Nicholls, a former Olympian, said corporate Barbados should join forces with the BOA which was well-placed to redirect the funds to areas of specific need. She said companies didn't need to have a large profit margin to make a donation, just "a small amount each year to fit into the budget".

"The pressure that athletes are under to perform, especially coming from Barbadians, is tremendous. That takes a lot of financial support. It takes other support as well, but when you have the finances in place, it helps to provide the other resources that athletes need," Nicholls said.

The Ryan Brathwaite Olympic Support Fund was launched in September during a function at the Barbados Port Inc.

Also attending yesterday's presentation were Ian Stewart, manager, engineering of the port; Melba Smith, Sagicor's vice president of corporate communications; BOA's secretary general Erskine Simmons, director Cammie Burke; operations manager Glyne Clarke and Dave Farmer, head of the Olympic Academy.