On Monday, September 16, the Lower House officially approved the “Julien Alfred Day Bill” to honor the island’s first-ever Olympic champion.
September 27 will now be recognized as a national holiday, with celebrations including a free concert at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
When the proposal was initially introduced, some questioned whether the holiday would be a one-time event.
However, the newly passed bill allows for future national achievements to be celebrated in a similar fashion, designated as a “Day of National Excellence.”
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre highlighted this in his address to the Chamber:
“Cabinet may, by order published in the Gazette, in relation to any subsequent year, appoint any day to be a Day of National Excellence and declare that day a public holiday. Because we may have another athlete who wins a gold medal, we need the flexibility to declare any such day as a day of excellence,” the Prime Minister stated.
This move aligns with the vision shared by the Minister for Youth Development and Sports, Kenson Casimir, regarding sports as a springboard for success across various fields.
The Julien Alfred Day celebrations are expected to provide economic benefits for the island, including media coverage of the festivities by the hit Netflix docu-series, Sprint.
The Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to using sports as a vehicle for national development.
“I’ve always said that if you want to shine the light in the country, invest in sport. Thankfully, I have a Minister of Finance who understands that. We’ve made the investment in sport, and now we are reaping the massive rewards that we so deserve as a nation,” the Minister said.
The Saint Lucia Government has indicated that with the passage of this bill, the Island not only celebrates the exceptional achievements of Julien Alfred but also sets a precedent for recognizing and supporting excellence across all arenas.
Only good thing happening for st lucia
UWI – you need to follow that up with a Honorary Doctor. Go Saint Lucia, Congrats Julien you have done your country proud.
UWI – you need to follow that up with a Honorary Doctorate. Go Saint Lucia, Congrats Julien you have done your country proud. She accomplishes so many firsts with one go, namely: The first Olympic Champion overall for Saint Lucia, The first Saint Lucian to win two Olympic medals (of any colour) at the same or any Olympics; The first Saint Lucian to win an Olympic Gold medal in 100m; The first Saint Lucian to win an Olympic medal (of any colour) in 100m; The first Saint Lucian to win an Olympic Silver medal in the 200m; The first Saint Lucian to win an Olympic medal (of any colour) in the 200m; The first Saint Lucian to win an Olympic medal (of any colour) in both the 100m and 200m; The first Saint Lucian to win an Olympic Gold medal in the 100m and a Silver in 200m; The first Saint Lucian to make it to the finals of both the 100m and 200m in the same Olympics (and to attempt the double/double). Please UWI that is a lot of firsts. Go Julien, Bless Up.
I personally have been calling for sport to be given priority on the island. Not just for recreation, but every one engaging in sport must have the ability to turn professional. While sport should be available to everyone for recreational purposes, sport at least should lead to a professional career opening avenues for our people. This is a great approach and hope it open doors for our men and women. I also hope this holiday will be one where we have excellence in every aspect of society is honoured…Sport, literature, Economics, arts, culture.
Wait! Another annual holiday? As if y’all are not unproductive enough and kids are not losing enough instructional time already. Circus masquerading as a country.
It is not an annual holiday. What they’re saying is in the event that they need to call another holiday in the future, for whatever reason, they have the leeway to do so