Barbados and Cuba have signed a new agreement for cooperation in physical culture and sports.
The signing took place on Wednesday, December 4, in Havana, Cuba. It was the highlight of a five-day official visit to that country by a Barbadian delegation headed by Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith.
Minister Griffith signed on behalf of Barbados, while his counterpart, President of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), Osvaldo Vento Montiller, did so on behalf of the Republic of Cuba.
This accord aims to raise the sporting level in both countries in the following areas: programme organisation, sports facilities and equipment, training and improvement of trainers and specialists, academic exchange, sports medicine, anti-doping control, sports administration, sports specialist contracts, computing applied to sports, and Sport for All, as well as other areas that are mutually agreed upon.
The Sports Minister noted the success of the visit, which he viewed as a further step in building bridges between the two countries. “The significance of this agreement will redound to the benefit of young people in Barbados for years to come,” he said.
Mr. Griffith also discussed the possibility of introducing Barbados’ indigenous sport, road tennis, to Cuba and presented a road tennis kit to INDER.
Mr. Vento described the many similarities between Barbados and Cuba in sports development, including the focus on community work, particularly in vulnerable communities.
Some of Cuba’s outstanding Olympic and Paralympic athletes also witnessed the signing. During the visit, the Barbados delegation, including Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Joy Adamson; Director of the National Sports Council, Neil Murrell; and Sports Development Officer, Stephen Rowe, toured various sports-related institutions, such as Cubadeportes, the Training School for High-Performance Athletes, and the Cuban Sports Research Center, as well as national youth organisations and schools of dance and music. (PR/GIS)
