Thirty-eight groups and individuals were honoured for the contribution to sports in Dominica at the 10th Annual Sports Awards.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports hosted the event on Wednesday, May 4th, under the themeHonoring Sporting Achievements.
The Hon. Prime Minister, Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit; members of Cabinet; permanent secretaries; sporting officials and others were among the guests.
The ceremony is the Ministry’s way of showing appreciation for the achievements of sporting individuals and groups that continue to make Dominica proud through their active participation in sporting events throughout the year.
Hon. Minister for Sports and Youth, Hon. Justina Charles, acknowledged that a lot of infrastructural work remains to be done developments but, she says, sports is still a priority area for Government.
“For us a Government, while the need for infrastructural development has become exceedingly important as a result of environmental conditions and most recent natural disaster, this in no way undermines the importance of investing in sports.
“We continue to provide annually, through budgetary allocations for the development of sports on the island. The programmes of the Sports Division are supported annually at a cost of $2m which goes mainly toward youth sports programme and support to community and national sports organizations.”
Minister Charles revealed that a good example of Government’s dedication is the award ceremony’s $50,000 bill.
Trevor Shillingford is Sports Coordinator.
He said, “We are happy with the growth of the sports Awards over the years and look forward to implementing new approaches as we seek to make further improvements while looking towards another 10 years of the event.”
Prizes came in the form of cash, trophies and gifts.
The award for Sportsman of the Year Went to Tyron Theophile for his contribution to cricket, and Sportswoman of the Year Award went to Shanie Angol for her contribution to athletics.
