Waking Up Sport in SVG – The Rightful Place Part II
On 27 October 2026, St Vincent and the Grenadines will observe the 47th Independence Day celebrations. Prime Minister, Dr Godwin Friday, will deliver his first Independence Address as his government marks just over 11 months in office.
Over the past few years, some attempts have been made to deliberately include sport in the annual Independence celebrations. This took shape following the decision by some cricketing enthusiasts from Trinidad and Tobago to come to our country to engage in some fun competition in October. Over time, some structure has been put to the arrangement, ultimately leading to the establishment of an Annual Independence Cricket Festival. This year the National Cricket League of Canada has brought a few teams to our shores and we are certain that this will serve as an impetus to our tourism authorities to use this experience to develop our ultimate sport tourism programmes for the future.
Some private concerns have also attempted to create some sporting activities around the Independence celebrations. This year, for example, All Athletes Inc., is introducing a road race series, akin to the Run Barbados project, in the Independence activities. There has been fledgling interest on the part of the Tourism Authority to seizing the moment to work on the construction of a Sport Tourism development programme, inclusive of the existing initiatives.
Current work is being undertaken at the level of the Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, to lay the foundation for a Sports Tourism programme beginning with a sports policy framework. Expectations are that such a policy will soon be available for public scrutiny and engagement of the entire sporting fraternity of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Important historical notes
Cricket
In the book that addresses much of this nation’s sporting history, it is stated, ‘Our cricketers were sufficiently proficient to access a place on the West Indies Cricket team at the beginning of the 20th century. The Ollivierre brothers from Bequia were outstanding in the very early days. One of them actually made it on to the West Indies team on an unofficial tour to England. Later, Alfie Roberts earned the privilege of being the first Vincentian to gains election on an official West Indies team. However, many will argue that fast bowler, Frank O Mason, the man who twice bowled Frank Worrell without scoring in St Vincent, was more than a little unfortunate not to have gained selection to the regional side. In his autobiography, Gary Sobers confessed that there was some collusion among the Barbadian players called up for trials to ensure that the younger Wes Hall, their countryman, gained selection over Mason. There was no shortage of talented Vincentian cricketers.’ This final truth still exists.
Athletics
The book on this country’s Olympic history also records, ‘Track and Field Athletics apparently formed its national Association in 1943. James Webb distinguished himself in the sport and began coaching a number of youngsters who honed their skills enough to leave their mark. Bunny Baptiste was a remarkable sprinter while Ayrton Clouden took to the Decathlon leaving a national record that stands to this day. Carl Glasgow was an outstanding athlete in the High Jump at a time long before landing mats became the norm. Victor Peters was another outstanding sprinter in his day. Like Clouden and Baptiste he was on the national team that participated in the then British Empire Games in Kingston, Jamaica in 1966. Several Vincentian track and field athletes journeyed to Trinidad to participate in the Southern Games, what many considered the Caribbean’s Olympics at the time.’
When the Carifta Games were introduced as the Caribbean’s track and field championships for athletes under 17 and under 20 respectively, St Vincent and the Grenadines was among the medallists in the very first edition held in Barbados. It took some time however before the country’s first Orde Ballantyne won the nation’s first Carifta Games gold medal in the Shot Put event. In 1995, Eswort Coombs earned the country’s first medal, bronze, in Track and Field at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina, the first gold at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Guatemala and our first ever gold medal at the World University Student Games, Fukuoka, Japan. One year later be became the first Vincentian to make the semi-finals in any sport at the Centennial Olympic sin Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Pamenos Ballantyne dominated road racing in the English-speaking Caribbean for several years. In Delhi, India, in 2010, Natasha Mayers became the first Vincentian to win gold at the Commonwealth Games. Shafiqua Maloney placed fourth in the 800m at the Paris Olympics, 2025, the best performance on record for any Vincentian at the Olympics. Handal Roban attained the highest world all-time ranking of #18 in the 800m in 2025.
Netball
According to our recorded history, ‘Netball was introduced but was not formalised into an organisation before 1947. The national netball team was considered one of the strongest in the region and several players gained selection to the West Indies team following the annual regional tournament. The first amongst these were Peggy Ince-Hull and Marlene Arthur, However, perhaps the most popular name associated with the sport in the history of St Vincent and the Grenadines is Gloria Ballantyne, referred to as ‘The Nation’s First Lady of Sport’. She also has the distinction of having had a father who represented St Vincent and the Grenadines in Cricket and Football, a husband who represented the country in Bodybuilding. All of Gloria’s children and one grandchild were also sufficiently adept at sports that they gained national selection, often in more than one sport.’. Later we had Clothel Young, Joanne Ballantyne, Skiddy Francis,
Football
Football was always a most popular sport but suffered from the refusal of the international governing body, FIFA, to approve both the Victoria Park and the Arnos Vale # 1 as competition venues. The Victoria Park was deemed to have had a surface that did not meet international standards – much too rough. Arnos Vale # 1 was rejected because in the opinion of FIFA officials the cricket wicket, located in the middle of the playing surface, was too high, so that the football field was not deemed flat enough for international football. The local Football Federation was allowed to participate in regional competitions but not the World Cup. In 1991 the nation team finished second in the Caribbean Football Union’s tournament, having defeated the then outstanding Surinam team in the process. There is a long list of outstanding Vincentian footballers whose names are etched in the sport’s proud history. It was not until the late 1980s that FIFA relented and the country was able to play in the World Cup Preliminaries for the 1994 contest scheduled for the USA.
Squash
Since the introduction of the sport of squash in St Vincent and the Grenadines we have had mixed successes. However, whileit existed, we did relatively well at the OECS level, oftene merging champions. The OECS Squash Championships ended several years ago and so we have been participating in the Caribbean Squash competitions.
16 year old, Jaden George, has won the major title on six occasions and has been enjoying high ranking in both Canada and the US. He is on track to be the best squash athlete this country has at any level of competition.
Facilities
Accoring to our historical documentation, ‘In terms of facilities St Vincent and the Grenadines suffered. In the early days there was the Victoria Park located in Kingstown and the King George V Playing Field at Arnos Vale. These served as the primary outdoor sporting facilities in all of St Vincent and the Grenadines.’
The King George V Playing Field, while being much better than the Vicoria Park, did not survive long enough. In an article dated February 1997, this Columnist wrote: ‘Prior to 1960, the area now occupied by the E. T. Joshua Airport, constituted a massive recreational arena called the King George V Playing Field. ‘This was the venue of horseracing and some cricket. Most of the football was played at Victoria Park, Kingstown, where it shared top billing with Cricket.
‘However the very popular Cork Cup Cricket Competition, the forerunner of the current Windward Islands Cricket Tournament, was first played at the King George V Playing Field before shifting to Victoria Park as the Goodwill Series.
‘In 1960 the field was identified as the most suitable site for a new airport on St Vincent. In the perennial conflict for use of land, between recreation and economic infrastructure, recreation was again the loser. The loss of the King George V Playing Field created a major vacuum in national sports.
In respect of the location of the Arnos Vale Cricket facility Joseph noted: ‘In late 1966, after much consideration and conscious of the awesome nature of the task to be undertaken, local Cricket authorities agreed that the sixteen acres of land adjacent to the newly constructed airport at Arnos Vale could, with consistent hard work, be transformed into an adequate replacement for the King George V Playing Field. The seed planted by the men of vision had taken root, even though it had yet to blossom into fully articulated plans.
The records reveal, ‘So it was that the Arnos Vale Cricket arena was created, consisting of two playing surfaces – Arnos Vale #1 and Arnos Vale #2. Later the facility was expanded to accommodate Tennis. Four courts were created adjacent to the Arnos Vale # 1 Cricket ground in time for the hosting of an international competition. Following the completion of the competition the courts were opened up to other sports in need of the same type of surfaces – Basketball, Netball and Volleyball. The entire arena – the two Cricket Grounds and the four courts – soon enough became known as the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.’
Track and field competitions, while still using the Victoria Park, also began to hold competitions at the grounds at Arnos Vale as also did football and, much later, rugby.
Squash Courts
In 1969 Cecil constructed his Medical Clinic in New Montrose. His love for squash compelled him to also construct a squash court downstairs the building. This is perhaps one of the oldest such facilities in the Caribbean, testimony to his contribution to the sport in his homeland and across the region.
Joseph penned: In 1978 Cecil constructed another squash court but at his house at Salt Pond. Interestingly he could not tell his wife that he had done this. One day while taking her out to the house he tried his best to have her interested in the beauty of the surroundings on the other side of the building and the beauty of the sea. This distraction failed miserably and on seeing the structure asked about it. A guilty Cecil Cyrus confessed. His wife nonetheless came to accept the new addition to the house.
Joseph wrote: His advocacy for a home for squash in St Vincent and the Grenadines was fuelled by his immense love for the sport and his intense desire to see it grow and blossom…Cecil then approached Archbishop Woodroffe, head of the Anglican Church in St Vincent and the Grenadines, for procurement of a piece of land adjacent to the Bishop’s College Kingstown in Paul’s Avenue. Once a deal had been struck, Cecil approached the bank, mortgaged his home and set about constructing the facility, with support from a variety of individuals and organisations.
The National Lottery eventually bought the building that housed the Squash Courts in Paul’s Avenue. The main officies of the National Lotteries Authority are now located there with the courts managed by the national Association.
Other sport facilities
Over the past several years we have witnessed several sport facilities constructed around St Vincent and the Grenadines, not all of which can be considered fit for any purpose beyond sheer narrow political currency.
Sport facilities across St Vincent and the Grenadines have long been the whims and fancies of politicians rather than of a structured approach dictated by systematic analyses and established policies and strategic planning, features that still dominate the realities of sport.
Hard courts were constructed in several communities but few were accompanied by any administrative and maintenance policies, structures and staff. Not surprisingly, a brief tour around the country will reveal the varying standards of these courts today.
Playing fields of different shapes and sizes have also been established in communities without regard for the needs of the populations and sports they are intended to serve.
Football has been fortunate that the financial success of the sport’s international governing body, FIFA, has allowed them to benefit from the ‘Goal Project’. This has given them their own administrative home as well as technical/development headquarters. Several of their facilities have been provided with lighting and they possess the financial resources to hire lights at different venues allowing for the sport to be played at appropriate times and locations as deemed necessary.
Conclusion
St Vincent and the Grenadines has a new government in place and one expects that it will take some time before clear studies are undertaken, results assessed, policies developed and programmes planned to respond to clearly identified strategic objectives.
We must learn lessons from our past to build upon successes and avoid past mistakes, regardless of which political party was responsible. This is one nation and we must seize the opportunities to engage all of our peoples in its genuine development.
Together, we must convince those in authority to resist the temptation to treat sport as a plaything that has no place amongst the main pillars of national development.
Let this year’s Independence observation serve as an opportunity for all Vincentians to think and work collectively in the interest of all Vincentians. The time to wake up our sporting potential is now!
