Sports

Final Lap For National Senior Games Registration

Barbadians and others, still keen on participating in the 2025 National Senior Games (NSG), but not yet registered, are reminded by the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs (MPEA), that registration will close, today Tuesday, May 27, at 5:00 p.m. for all track and field and road race events.

On Thursday, May 29, there will be a briefing session for athletes from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., by the National Sports Council, at the Wildey Gymnasium, Wildey, St Michael. Athletes will also be able to collect their bibs during this time.

Final registration and number collection for the road race will occur on Friday, May 30, from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, St. Michael.

The Games were officially launched last Saturday, May 24, with a motorcade which ended at Golden Square Freedom Park, The City, where Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey urged Barbadians to see the benefits to be derived from active ageing and the NSG.

Mr. Humphrey stressed that Barbados was “an ageing society” and said: “… We believe if you are active that you can live longer and you can live better… That’s what the Senior Games is about. From the very beginning that was the idea behind the Senior Games.”

He also noted that this year his Ministry had made a deliberate effort to go bigger, better and have more participation. Disclosing that already over 300 participants were looking to represent the country in either the track and field events in June, or other events in September, the Minister urged Barbadians and others at the launch ceremony to come out and participate on the given dates.

Noting some people would be representing their parishes, he added that the Ministry was also encouraging persons to bring a small contribution towards the National Assistance Board’s Senior Programme and the Soroptimist Club Senior Programme, on Whitsuntide Monday, June 9, at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex. The contribution is, however, not mandatory for entry but is encouraged to support the senior programmes.

“This year is going to be great and I want to invite all of Barbados to come out and participate in the Games,” Mr. Humphrey exclaimed, as he also thanked his staff at the MPEA for their work with the National Senior Games.

This year, Barbados National Senior Games celebrates 21 years of existence. The Games, which honour the strength, spirit, and contributions of older adults across the island, will be held under the theme: Active Living, Active Ageing. (PR/GIS)

Sports

BARBADIAN GOLFER EMILY ODWIN IN US WOMEN’S OPEN TODAY

Article by David Harris

Barbadian golfer Emily Odwin will create history today, Thursday when she tees off in the US Women’s Open at Erin Hills Golf Course in Washington County, Wisconsin.

Odwin, 21, a junior at Southern Methodist University (SMU) will become the first Barbadian to play in a US Open golf tournament.

Odwin will play at the tournament as an amateur, she qualifies for the tournament after an outstanding performance at the prestigious Olympic Club Lake Course in San Franciso earlier this month; after delivering a composed and consistent showing across two 18-hole rounds to finish at three-under-par tying for first place with American Sarah Lim.

Spaniard Paula Martin Sampedro who finished one behind Odwin and Lim also qualified for the Open.

Odwin, a former student of St Winfred’s School and Queen’s College grew up on the West Coast in St James, she loved to swim at the age of four. Odwin enjoyed all kind of sports and even got a brown belt in karate.

She became interested in golf after watching Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth on television with her father.

At the age of 11 Odwin began to focus her attention on golf, the competitive scene for sport was limited with few official tournaments, and even fewer competitions for girls to participate in. Odwin needed to find alternatives to push herself:

“As I got older and as I got better, it was tougher for me to find competition and I had to travel outwards. I started to come to the United States, or I had to go to Europe. When I was at home, I started having to play with boys a lot. I would have to play in their division off their tees. There are not a lot of girls playing golf in Barbados and there weren’t a lot of competitive opportunities back home”, Odwin told journalists in the United States.

Odwin is proud of her culture and plans to wear an embroidered flag of Barbados on her polo shirt at the US Open.

“I just want to inspire kids back home that golf is possible. You never know how far you can go until you try”, Odwin said.

Sports

RUN/WALK/CYCLE SUNDAY JUNE 1ST

National Senior Games 2025 Road Races this Sunday beginning at 6 am, Mighty Grynner Highway.

Sports

HAYLEY SHINES BUT WI WOMEN LOST 3RD INT’L SERIES

By David Harris

An outstanding performance with the bat and ball by captain Hayley Matthews was not enough to prevent the West Indies Women from losing the third T20I in the International series against England by 17 runs at the County Ground, Chelmsford on Monday; and being whitewashed in the series.

Chasing 145 runs to win the match, the West Indies were restricted to 127 runs for eight wickets. Matthews scored 71 runs including 11 fours and a six while Realeanna Grimmond and Shabika Gajnabi contributed 15 and 14 runs respectively.

Fast bowler Laureen Bell picked up two wickets for 11 runs from four parsimonious overs, medium pacer Emily Arlott, off-spinner Charlottle Dean and left-arm spinner Linsey Smith also took two wickets.

England scored 144 for five wickets after the West Indies won the toss and decided to field, Heather Knight made 67 not out and newly appointed captain Nat Sciver-Brunt contributed 37. Matthew captured three wickets for 32 runs with her off-spin.

The West Indies badly beaten by their host in the three-match series, they slumped to eight-and nine -wickets losses in the first two T20Is. The regional team appear to be a one –woman team at the moment, Matthews the player of series scored 177, more than all her teammates put together.

In the first T20I Matthews scored an unbeaten century out of the West Indies score of 146, in addition to her outstanding batting, Matthew captured four wickets in the series.

The two teams will now play a three-match One Day International series which will begin on May 30^th.