PM Thomas meet with track stars

User Rating:  / 0

Details

Parent Category: Sept 2011

Category: Week ending Sept 30th, 2011

Hits: 438

Prime Minister Tillman Thomas has described the success of Grenadian athletes, Janelle Redhead, Kirani James and Rondell Bartholomew, as one that “symbolises the hopes and aspirations of the Grenadian people.”

 Speaking at a celebration for the athletes at the Wingate High School auditorium in New York on Sunday, the Prime Minister said the performances of the athletes at the recent World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, was a uniting factor for all Grenadians, at home and abroad.

 “Your exploits were a uniting force to all of Grenada. People forgot their political, economic and social standing and took the time to celebrate your achievement and another Grenada milestone,” the Grenadian leader told the large, cheering audience.

 Prime Minister Thomas announced that Cabinet is now considering a range of options to “properly reward our athletes when they perform at the highest level.”

 He said the Grenadian track stars had achieved the kind of international fame for Grenada that years of paid advertising may not have been able to achieve.   

 “Your position on the track, in front of the world’s cameras and microphones, creates great opportunities for our homeland. What we could not do in marketing campaigns for many years, you have done in one day,” he declared, adding that the trio have motivated many young people.

 The Prime Minister noted that Grenada is “looking forward with excitement, yet caution,” to the performances of the athletes at the  London Olympic Games in 2012 as long as they were healthy and ready for the challenge.

 According to PM Thomas, his National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration has taken the “bold decision” to rebuild Grenada’s athletic stadium, which was damaged by hurricane Ivan in 2004.

 He said that government wants to ensure that Grenadian athletes who perform on the world stage have the best facilities to train when they come back home for a vacation following the end of the athletics season.

 He stated that a reconstructed stadium will also “afford our young athletes the opportunity to perform under similar conditions” to what they will find when they compete internationally.

 The athletes, who expressed their appreciation for the support of their countrymen, received several awards from the New York City Council, US Congresswoman - Yvette Clarke, the alumni of their various learning institutions and Grenada’s Honorary Consul General in New York, Derek James.

 The sprint trio also signed autographs for their adoring fans following performances by some of Grenada’s top New York based Calypsonians. 

• < Prev
• Next >