Team Saint Lucia came home on Wednesday, April 8, to a warm heroes’ welcome after their outstanding performance at this year’s CARIFTA Aquatics Championships in Martinique. The team earned 14 medals, surpassing last year’s record of 13. They were greeted at Port Castries by supporters and government officials after competing at the Pierre Samot Community Aquatic Centre.
At a press conference, Dr Uralise Delaire, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, thanked the athletes for their hard work, dedication and exemplary conduct during the championships.
“I really want to congratulate you and to say thank you for your dedication, your resilience, your discipline… for keeping us on the map and also making us outstanding in the region,” she said.
Clivus Jules, Director of Sports in the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, shared a personal story from watching the meet that showed the passion and inspiration the young athletes brought.
“I had a whole crowd at my home, and my children got so much that my six-year-old asked to be in swimming. So you guys have done your job in more ways than one.”
Gleaming with pride was Paula James, President of the Saint Lucia Aquatics Federation. She reflected on the swimmers’ performances over the preceding days with a simple message.
“For me, this is pride and joy. The effort I put in is minuscule compared to what you guys did for me this weekend and for Saint Lucia. It was phenomenal,” she said.
Team Saint Lucia keeps achieving great results in aquatics, even though they train in a 25-metre pool. In competitions like CARIFTA, the standard pool length is 50 metres.
Work has started on a National Aquatics Centre in Beausejour, close to the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, the Beausejour Indoor Facility and the National Tennis Centre. The new centre will have an Olympic-sized swimming pool, which is already on the island.
James said that with this much-needed home for Saint Lucian swimming, “the sky is the limit”. Although it is not yet clear when the facility will be finished, aquatics officials are hopeful that its opening will take local swimming to the next level.
