SPORT AND NATIONALISM
The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games has just concluded in Glasgow, Scotland 2 August and on Saturday, 8 August, the curtains will come down on the 25th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC), in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. While there were organisational challenges in both events, the consensus is that both Games were successfully administered and the athletes did their part in delivering outstanding performances.
Two Games at the same time
This Columnist has already mentioned in a previous edition of the newspaper the unfortunate clash between both the Commonwealth and CAC Games. The inconvenience was, however, most felt by the athletes from the English-speaking Caribbean, given that many were eligible to participate in both, but most made the choice to place the Commonwealth Games above the CAC Games.
Commonwealth Games 2026 were restricted to just 10 sports in 10 days. Most of the Caribbean athletes were engaged in athletics and swimming. It has long been well established that at the Commonwealth Games, some of the world’s best athletes in several sports are in attendance. It is not uncommon for athletes to set new world records or world-leading performances.
While some athletes attended both Games out of loyalty to. Their respective countries, others participated in only one, focusing on pending competitions they wish to attend.
In the ever-changing contemporary global sports environment, athletes weigh the importance of events to their careers and ranking in any given year. International sport federations are therefore well aware of the importance of avoiding clashes with major competitions, so that each event will attract the best athletes. This yields better revenues for the organisation based on both attendance and media coverage.
In the case of the Caribbean, therefore, the majority of athletes chose the Commonwealth Games over the CAC spectacle. However, for the non-Commonwealth countries, some of their high-profile athletes were in attendance in the Dominican Republic, much to the delight of the masses in attendance as well as those watching live feeds.
For the owners and hosts of major multi-sport Games, the message was clear. They do need to engage in such coordination that clashes are deliberately avoided.
One would therefore hope that Commonwealth Sport and Centro Caribe Sports each understand the unnecessary challenges placed on National Olympic Committees and Commonwealth Games Associations to persuade their respective national federations to provide teams that are characterised by their best athletes and most likely to give a good account by way of successful representation on the field of play.
Nationalism
Marileidy Paulino, of the Dominican Republic, dubbed ‘The Gazelle of Nizao’, won gold at the Paris Olympics of 2024, a feat that has placed her firmly in the nation’s recorded history. That she set an Olympic Games 400m record in the process sets her apart from her track and field peers.
Since her Olympic victory, Marileidy has continued to excel in her pet event. She was unfortunate to suffer defeat at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, last year.
Defeat has not daunted here and this year she has provided the sport of track and field athletics with much entertainment. Her adoring fans in the Dominican Republic have no intention of abandoning her and spurring her on to greater achievements.
With the Dominican Republic playing host to the 25th edition of the CAC Games and Centro Caribe Sport, the owner of the spectacle, observing the centennial of the establishment of the Games, Marileidy has always been expected to showcase the track and field component of the Games this year.
Marileidy’s attendance and participation in the CAC Games 2026 on home soil was never in doubt. Indeed, she found herself in the same position as that of fellow Dominican athlete Felix Sanchez, who was the local hero for the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo in 2003.
Sanchez had won back-to-back World Championship titles in 2001 and 2003. He was the favourite for the Athens Olympics in 2004. Winning the 400mH at the Pan American Games in his home country before an amazing 30,000 attendance record crowd was the first time an athlete from his country won a Pan American gold medal.
Marileidy is the first female athlete from her country to win an Olympic gold medal. She achieved this feat at the Paris Olympics 2024. She won silver at the previous Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She has also won several medals at the World Athletics Championships in both the individual 400m and mixed 4 x 400m relay.
Real Loyalty
Across many of the Caribbean sport leaders complain about the fact that as a region, we seem not to place much emphasis on engendering, developing and sustaining a strong commitment to the positive values attendant to sport amongst the stakeholders. Some complain about the behaviour of athletes who benefit from sport scholarships and who appear all too eager to ‘forget’ where they have come from. They opt to be more loyal to their overseas coaches and agents.
The reality is that many of our Caribbean associations literally have to ‘beg’ their overseas-based athletes to agree to represent their home country.
There is a view that Caribbean countries lack the resources to always satisfy the requirements of their overseas-based athletes. There is much truth to this, and it is often frustrating to all parties involved. Unfortunately, in some cases, attempts are made to meet each other half-way but this is not easily achieved. Complaints continue from all stakeholders, much of which turns out to be quite embarrassing.
There is also the complaint that in the Caribbean, many governments lead nations that are themselves so heavily indebted that finding finances for sport can hardly feature on their annual budgetary priorities. However, their desire to maintain control of government through general elections compels them to make capital when their athletes achieve international success.
While many Caribbean countries have been at pains to try to convince their elite athletes to represent their respective countries at the likes of the CAC Games, generally, and in this year, in particular, the athletes from the Dominican Republic have given preference to their nation.
The sport-loving people of the Dominican Republic came out in their numbers to witness Paulino in all of her events, showing their appreciation for her place in the nation’s history and her commitment to them.
There is little doubt that the Dominican Republic has its fair share of economic and political woes, but over the years, successive governments have acknowledged sport as a critical pillar of national development.
Consistent attempts have been made by governments in the Dominican Republic to deliver recreational and sporting facilities across communities, encouraging healthy living and promoting engagement in sport through to the highest level. Success breeds success, and elite athletes are elevated to national heroic status. It is therefore not at all surprising that there are strong bonds between their athletes and the government and people of the nation.
The status of sport and nationalism in SVG
St Vincent and the Grenadines is yet to be considered possessive of a national sport culture.
Vincentians enjoy sport, but we are a very long way from having forged a national sports culture, and we suffer as a result.
A change of government does not immediately change the status of sport in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Meaningful change takes time. There is no national plan for sports development in St Vincent and the Grenadines. While a national sport policy exists, there has not been a consistent commitment to continuous monitoring, evaluation and learning of the effectiveness of the policy since its initial creation.
There has not yet been a coordinative meeting of the key stakeholders in sport in St Vincent and the Grenadines since the change of government in the latter part of 2025. In many respects, sport continues along the same pinch-hitting manner as has become normative.
Given the challenges facing the Vincentian economy, the national priorities have not yet given pride of place to sport and hence retards any attempt by individuals and organisations to promote a culture of sport grounded in positive values.
National pride is not accorded priority status amongst Vincentians beyond mere rhetorical presentations on occasions of sporting successes.
There is a need for a new approach to sport in St Vincent and the Grenadines. There are good examples around us in the Caribbean and farther afield.
Nationalism is not solely dependent on doling out monies to athletes who have the courage to publicly complain about their lack of help. Instead, what appears to be required is a commitment by all of us to working together, guided by consistent consultations that lead to effective, creative policies, periodic monitoring and evaluation of and learning from our experiences. We need to create an enabling environment that is grounded in the firm conviction that sport is a critical pillar of national development.
We could do without the ‘ole talk’.
