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Contact:
Claudia Monlouis
Friday, July 04, 2003 - The Private Sector has over the years served
well, as a major support pillar for sports development in St. Lucia. However in
recent times, the focus on sports has been shifting from merely a recreational
event, to its potential as both a marketing tool and a service product that can
generate economic returns.
Researcher and writer on “Sports and Development” Peter Adrien, is of the view
that government has done a good job of redefining the role of sports by making
it part it of the island’s economic landscape.
“What we see happening in a sense like in St. Lucia, Grenada, and the rest of
the countries in the West Indies - the whole reaction with respect to the 2007
Cricket World Cup - is the fact that commercial sports as opposed to
recreational sports, have become part of the platform for economic development.
So it challenges public sector policy makers to define a role, in the public
sector investment programmes as to the role of sports,” Adrien said.
Adrien has made a call for the private sector to become involved in the ongoing
transition to spur on the process, as their contribution is critical.
“The whole effort and the whole importance of global sports must be complemented
by the coming together of media houses and strong sponsors who want to cash in,”
Adrien emphasised. “If you want to create the passion, you cannot create passion
outside of finance. So therefore the private sector has to play a key role.”
Adrien believes that in order for the country to capitalise on its premiere
sporting facilities, a strong willed administrative team must be installed. He
further advised that any sporting endeavours should not be politicized but
presented in a national context.
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