Plans are under way for the feats of young women who excel in sports to be highlighted and acknowledged.
This was revealed during a Press conference at the Barbados Olympic Association’s (BOA) Wildey headquarters on Tuesday, where it was announced that those plans would be held to coincide with International Women’s Day, March 8.
According to Ytannia Wiggins, one of the members of the BOA’s Women and Sports Committee, who recently attended the fifth edition of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) world conference in California, there has been a recent push by the IOC to have more women involved in sporting disciplines.
She was of the view that for too long athletes were only acknowledged after having either performed creditably at CARIFTA Games, the World Championships or Olympics, or after they had retired.
“I think it is in our culture to wait too late to recognize our athletes. What about our young athletes who are now looking to forge their way forward?” she asked.
As a result, the committee will be acknowledging those performances by female athletes under the age of 25 during an event on the grounds of the BOA headquarters on March 8.
Wiggins revealed that the committee had requested sporting organizations to submit the names of two female athletes from each sport, and the final names would be selected from those submitted.
She said that along with athletes being rewarded at the event, there would be performances from the Barbados Amateur Gymnastic Association, the Barbados Cheerleading Association, and a Zumba presentation.
There will also be a Women and Sports Conference at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, from October 19 to 21, under the theme Investing In Our Future.
The conference will seek to highlight the benefit of sports participation for girls and women, and will not only target females, but also their coaches, managers, sports administrators, medical personnel and journalists.
