In four years’ time, Barbados’ athletes have earned in excess of a whopping $100,000 for their podium finishes across numerous disciplines.
Sharing this news is the newly re-elected President of the Barbados Olympic Association and the Commonwealth Games Association of Barbados, Sandra Osborne.
She delivered breath remarks at the celebratory reception for the island’s outstanding athletes at Ilaro Court and then spoke to Loop on the sidelines.
Osbourne disclosed that “So far, since 2019, over $100,000 have been earned by athletes under this [BOA incentive] programme.”
However, she said that when compared to statistics out of the United Kingdom (UK) Sport, Barbados cannot compare. She said the BOA looked at what it took the UK to produce an Olympic medalist between 2016 and 2020, and “the investment is staggering, and obviously, we lack the same scale, but the only point that we want to make here is that it takes not just a village, but a country.”
Osborne, therefore, thanked the Barbados Lotteries saying their “longstanding contribution to sport has allowed us to invest $20 million in athletes and national federations over the last four-year Olympic cycle and to more than double our direct athlete funding in 2022, to $1.475 million, cannot be overstated.”
She also mentioned government’s commitment to the BOA by way of taxes levied on the gaming industry in recent years. She said as the beneficiary of such, they are then able to pass on the good fortune to athletes.
But hammering home the need for more support still, she added, “As always, I repeat my call for more support for the dreams and ambitions of these fine Barbadian athletes.”
