The Cayman Islands Olympic Committee has begun a new era of leadership following its general meeting and elections held on 13 June.
The most prominent change sees Bernie Bush, a former member of Parliament and former sports minister, stepping into the role of Olympic committee president, marking a significant shift in the committee’s direction.
In a recent Compass TV interview, Bush outlined a few intentions of the committee after having their first official meeting.
“We are going to make sure that our relationships with the national federations – if they’re not good, we’re going to rebuild them, and those that are new, we are going to build relationships with [them],” Bush stated, highlighting the importance of strong foundational partnerships.
Other key objectives included:
1. Working with the national federations to look at more strategically planned pathways for athletes to compete at the multi-sport level.
2. Helping athletes with media training and their personal branding.
3. Helping athletes with understanding their role in the Olympic movement and supporting their journey.
4. Supporting national federations to raise CIOC’s global standing in their respective sports.
Bush underscored the necessity of a strategic approach in today’s competitive sporting landscape and reiterated a goal of developing a larger pool of high-performance athletes to represent the Cayman Islands at multi-sport events, stressing that this will require close cooperation with the federations.
A cornerstone of the new CIOC’s approach will be transparency.
Bush emphasised this commitment, stating, “We are going to work with these associations so that everything is transparent, even our new website [which is currently being created]. You will be able to see the CIOC minutes, books.”
He elaborated that the committee is developing a “very world-class” website that will make all relevant information readily available online, ensuring that “everything is … upfront” for anyone who accesses the site and ultimately, contributing to a stronger, more effective CIOC.
Acknowledging the task ahead, Bush remained optimistic.
“We have a lot of work to do, but it can be done,” he said.
He also extended his gratitude to the previous board, recognising their hard work and dedication during their tenure.
The new Cayman Islands Olympic Committee board members are:
Officers
- Bernie Bush – President
- Dalton Watler – Vice president
- Shakeina Bush – Secretary general
- Ivy Sahadeo – Treasurer
Executive members
- Dion Brandon
- Julian Lewis
- Alessandro Morris
- Stephen Broadbelt
