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School Sports Suspended

Secondary student-athletes in Saint Lucia will be denied an opportunity to showcase their talents and abilities this term, as school sports have been suspended.

The Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, along with the Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Gender Relations are expected to make a joint announcement to that effect on Wednesday.

The first term of the 2024-2025 school year started in the first week of September, and is expected to run until early December. In this term, schools would normally be engaged in football, netball, and basketball competition, as well as the schools road race.

Only the road race is now expected to happen, according to sources close to the discussion.

This term faced the unusual interruption due to the Julien Alfred Homecoming in late September.

Ironically, the celebration of the nation’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist may have played a role in affecting the development of the island’s young athletes.

One official, who wished to remain anonymous, told St. Lucia Times that the disruption in instruction occasioned by the week of activities, including school rallies and a holiday, in addition to the resources that went into planning the festivities, were a factor in deciding to cull sports.

The two Government departments were reportedly unable to get an early start to their discussions. The ministries, which were once under the same portfolio, have struggled at times with their working relationship over the years.

A 2010 memorandum of understanding between the two agencies proposed that school sports be managed by an independent committee, and over the last decade, the Physical Education Teachers Association of Saint Lucia has called for the implementation of such a committee. School sports in Jamaica, Barbados, and Grenada are run along that model.

St. Lucia Times has been reliably informed that the ministries will conduct a review and plan towards having team sports in Terms 2 and 3. Saint Lucia is scheduled to host the Windward Islands School Games in the summer of 2025.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. That’s crazy it’s shows st.lucia government shows less interest in sports they deh when persons do well

  2. That’s oure rubbish. Depriving the young ones an opportunity like that. It’s over 20 years that these school sports are held in the first term so budget should be set aside for it. Julien celebration should not have cause to be blamed for this.

  3. Wow this is a damn shame smmfh whaaaaatttttt where’s the kids outlets?…..?smph
    Damn proud yh….woiiiiiii

  4. One minute they love , next minute they blame you for the deprivation of young athletes from sporting competition. The excuse by those 2 ministries are bullls…..! School sports are not planned overnight. Sports are just as important as academics…..you may be bright but fat and dying of diabetes, hypetension and cardiac issues. Let’s act like we know how important sports is for our kids and stop acting like it’s just a means to have a party and holiday and motorcade etc. Sports is life, let’s make it a core, untouchable part of all schools curriculum! Shame on you Shawn, shame on you Kenson!

  5. This is pure bullocks and smacks of shortsightedness and poor planning by the institutions involved. These Ministries need to learn how to chew gum and walk at the same time! My son is an athlete and has been looking forward to this for months. He is gutted and so am I because I know how hard he has been working toward it. It is time we start looking at sports as a business and a potential future money earner for the kids involved who are looking to get their stats, make a name and get notice by potential scouters. This is extremely disappointing. If we say something is important, then we should treat it as such! Do better! Our young people deserve better!

  6. Such a shame. We have students who attend school ONLY when it’s time to participate in these sporting activities. Now, I guess we won’t be seeing them til February for inter-house sports.

    Like Concerned Citizen stated, neither Carnival, Jazz nor Jounen Kwéyòl has ever been cancelled… the government is showing what they value. I don’t want to hear the children are the future when “we” don’t invest in them meaningfully.

  7. Nooks October 23, 2024 At 10:11 am
    “One minute they love , next minute they blame you for the deprivation of young athletes from sporting competition.”

    @Nooks well said – I had to repost because I was thinking the same thing. These folk are really too much so hypocritical – what a crying shame.

  8. Sheer incompetence! Gross ineptitude! Clear dereliction of duty! Unprecedented levels of absolute nonsense! Rather strange abandonment of the youth in the showcasing of the so called ‘Youth Economy’.

  9. I would say this is a joke but at the rate our officials are going this is a serious thought process sadly.
    So the years when there were hurricanes, storms and all kind of inclement weather, schools used as polling stations for elections etc, f&@?ing COVID shutting down school, we still had school sports and activities of some kind. So you mean now, in the year of JUJU, when all Lucian’s especially persons into sports are all high off the Julien Alfred World Achievements and are preparing to show out next year… you cancel sports because of a few missed days and a holiday?!?!? My chest hurting from the weight of the stupidity. I rebuke anyone attached to this thought process and decision!!

  10. These things can happen no where else but in Saint Lucia! How can the greatest thing to ever happen in Saint Lucia sports, the winning of the gold and silver Olympic medals, be contrived to have an island wide negative development of sports for the youth which is unprecedented in the history of Saint Lucia! So this is the bottom line, Julien Alfred is responsible for there being no school sports this term! How ludicrous! Heaven help us all!

  11. The authorities responsible for this situation should be held accountable, what they are in fact saying is that had Saint Lucia not won two Olympic medals, there would have been school sports, the net result of the stellar performance of Alfred at the Olympics is that school sports is canceled. How shambolic! So in this country we take one step forward and ten backward! As the calypsonian said years ago, ‘our eyes are in our backside’.

  12. While i condemn the 2 ministries for such a shameful decision, I also wanna address the many many many many many overnight sports journalist, sports analysts, couch coaches and band-wagonists in this forum; how many of you all were planning to go to any of the school sporting events to support our youths? When was the last time you all attended a school sporting event, even if its just during your lunch hour? Anyways, back to the main topic at hand- ” in 1 month we took 2 steps forward (Olym medals) and immediately after 10 steps backward (no school sports this term)!”

  13. The amount of money that was spent (read handed out) for Juliens well deserved celebration is bearing its fruits. This administration loves to over spend (purposefully I suspect, kick backs cough cough) and then cuts corners where it truly matters. Aren’t they planning celebrations for the mens T20 cricket team as well? Why not scratch that and let the kids be in the moment after all Juju has accomplished.

  14. With money from the National lottery being redirected and is now being used to pay off loans for Daren Sammy Stadium it’s no surprise that the government has no money to pump in schools sports.

  15. Tell me this ,St Lucia must be a clown country, that’s a real circus show that’s going on. This government just can’t get their act together

  16. This is absolute rubbish!! The timing for this decision is so wrong!! After having the children hyped up about and encouraged by Julien Alfred. After having such a wonderful experience and all athletes aspiring to be like Julien Alfred this is what our children who we claim to be the future generation, future Julien Alfred’s, this is what they get? This is what they deserve? What really is going on in St.Lucia? We are really confusing our athletes with these kinds of decisions. One minute we say to them, be like Juju, strive to get an olympic medalist, then they work hard, they train, they push themselves, and now when they have to perform they are denied the opportunity. This is terrible!!!! I am in utter disgust and disappointment!!!!!
    I thought we were trying to build wholistic individuals!!! So is it only academics thats important? Are we only trying to meet the needs of students who are academically inclined????? What is really happening here in this education system????

  17. Now this just proves why Julien Alfred had to leave and go to Jamaica for training. We really are selling our athletes short. The powers that be, fix it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!These are our youth, these are our aspiring gold and silver medalists. Fix it!!!!!!!!!!!Our youth deserve better, they need to see we stand by them and encourage them. They need to see we are routing for them, they need to see that we mean what we say when we tell them that opportunities will be presented to them. Stop being actors, the youth are seeing right through these plans and it doesn’t look good!!!

  18. The importance of play in a child’s overall educational development should not be underrated. Children learn very important skills during that time. They learn discipline, organizational skills, management skills, communication skills, leadership skills, problem solving skills, management of anger and emotional skills, social skills, literacy, numeracy, etc. The list is endless. This decision has broken a child’s confidence and self esteem level. A missed opportunity to become our next gold medalist. How can our young people trust these policy makers when they blatantly break simple promises. A sad day!

  19. Let me get this right, the ministry of sports can only work on one event at a time? Shouldn’t the sports for this term already be organized like back in July? That’s what happens when you have square pegs in round holes. What a mess! The Ministry of Sports is a complete mess. Mwen mem!!

  20. Those officials need to go! Absolutely the most pathetic, lame and ridiculous excuses being used. After the “Review” (Hmmm) heads should roll, but I doubt anyone will be disciplined. This is devastating for students and their families. Shame on those responsible for this utter stupidity!!!

  21. So this publication is choosing which comments to post. I made 2 contributions yesterday that were well within their guidelines and I’m yet to see them posted. This is highly unethical and a symptom of what is holding this country back. This is why we are, where we are. Smh

  22. I agree with all the comments, it’s a indictment on the ministries and the government. It was the minister of spots who said that they were putting things in place to replicate what was happening in Jamaica, but within a month this, denying kids of spots with the worse excuse of all. How much resources does it take to organize football, netball, and basketball competition, Really. Finance should not be a problem cause there’s a budget plus CIP money. Crime is a problem, sport is an avenue to help in crime prevention and now you denying kids of that opportunity, something they was training and looking forward to. What do you expect them to do now, after having such a good year in sports with juju, cpl, football and so on, our school kids cannot perform in the sports that they love because of bureaucracy between two ministries in the same government and minster who claims they are for the youth. I call for action from the national youth counsel. Mobilize the kids and send a clear message to the ministries and the government. If it means protesting so be it.

  23. It’s all a question of priorities, it all goes down to what will make the government look good at the end of the day! To hell with the youth and the so called “Youth Economy”, since we’re going backwards let’s go back, way back, should we rename the Sports Ministry Fan Chu Sports, because they sure appear to be Lim Ping along! Remember the Chinese Cabinet!

  24. The Ministry of Sports is failing the youth of this country. This government is failing the youth of this country. Square pegs in round holes. Putting people worse!

  25. All the Lucian’s that were singing Damn Proud Lucian , look it. Suspension of schools sports surely that’s something to be Damn Proud of

  26. Hmmm!..this situation speaks volumes and exposed the monkeys high up in the trees…unfortunately they had to blame it on Julian after she’ve given us such recognition and which those monkeys know her effort has paid off and will bring great fortitude to our country in the near future….I always denounce carnival for me alone they can clean that off the slate…just imagine how proud Mrs.Alfred has made we st.lucians where she also started from Akademical SPORTS …the people incharge should have gone above and beyond knowing that this is st.lucia,s first Olympic medals and every youth is over zealous since the 2024 Olympics and was very eager to show off their talent especially the one’s that knows that they are physically inclined in their particular sport….BIG BIG SHAME on Philip J Pierre,Shawn Edward’s and Kenson baebae Casimir for not putting this on a front burner….I remember they said Chastenet deprive Julian Alfred in her early stages but now they depriving an entire younger generation to showcase their ability.
    .Talking about controlling and conducting crime this was actually a number one strategy for curbing the youths from crime….solution is having young kids engaging into sports that actually reward them perhaps with scholarships other prices to keep their young minds focus and not stray around the wrong road….eventually that thug generation will perish and extinct and the new generation are inclined into sports and akademics….
    Now come for me and tell me is mad thinking.

  27. That’s ashame. Persons has to pay for the mismanagement of this government. Y’all better don’t ask Juju for donations.
    A bunch of headless chickens running the F****ing country.

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