Veteran sports commentator Dr Joseph Reds Perreira has offered a holistic review of the recently concluded IFBB Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding Championship, hosted at the Pavilion in Rodney Bay last month. The event, which featured competitors from across the region vying for glory, was cited by Perreira as a general success — though not without room for improvement.
The long-time sports development advocate, who was honoured at the event for his contributions to the growth of bodybuilding on the island, noted that the climax of the two-day championship was stellar.
“I was very pleased with the final night of the event, which started quite promptly at 5:30 p.m.,” he said. “[It was] efficiently run, the venue was excellent at the Pavilion. The local organising committee from interviews I did was highly commended for making all of the arrangements on the ground and the show ran smoothly. They were able to promote the start and there was a very decent crowd who really participated in the judging.”
However, Perreira believes the event fell short during the preliminary rounds held on September 27. He suggested that a later start time could have improved attendance, giving individuals who were otherwise at work a chance to support local talent competing on the international stage.
“I think the Central American and Caribbean body needs to make adjustments to this rule where you start at two o’clock on a Friday, wherever,” he said. “For example, at two o’clock on a Friday, a lot of Saint Lucians were in fact competing and if that had started at six o’clock in the afternoon, they would have still finished around nine, so quite early. A lot of Saint Lucians would have turned up to see the Saint Lucian contingent posing down and performing. That led to a very small turnout and maybe an opportunity for the host association to raise some important funds to help them to pay off all the bills. Yes, they had sponsorship, but they needed the gate receipts. That’s the one flaw I thought of in the organisation and I think the Saint Lucian officials must really make a strong point [of consideration].”
Overall, Perreira expressed satisfaction with the public’s support and the event’s execution. As discussions continue around launching an Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States-based bodybuilding competition, the veteran’s insights and advocacy remain vital to the sport’s regional growth.
