Dehring: Regional unity will bring W/Cup success

The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs brought together national sports associations and regional and international heads for an Anti-Doping Seminar/Workshop at the Crowne Plaza on Saturday. The programme began at 8.30 am and covered all aspects of doping with emphasis on how the region can deal with the problem especially with the 2007 Cricket World Cup in mind. Dr Adrian Lorde, Chairman of the Barbados Anti Doping Commission (BADC), outlined the needs of the region in dealing with the problems of doping in partnership with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The Bajan organisation is four years old and their programme has focused on education, legislation and testing as they look towards joining WADA.

Without membership in WADA, national teams will not be able to participate in the Olympics Games in Athens, one of the thrusts to quell the surging tide of doping worldwide. With drastic changes in the sponsorship of the Cricket World Cup, Chris Dehring, representing the Organising Committee of the 2007 event admonished the gathering to become more aware of the reality of the situation which now presents the Caribbean as an international entity. “There is an urgent need for the region to become more united as they strive to achieve world class standards which would facilitate the successful staging of such an event,” Dehring said. And he drew attention to the 290-page Bid Book which outlines set standards to be applied. Dehring called for these standards to be interpreted with a “uniform Caribbean aestethic.”  He also called for increased volounteerism among the populace.

Volounteers, according to Dehring, are the country’s  ambassadors and must therefore, in his estimation and from personal experiences, be the best members of the society in order to introduce visitors to the country. Jacquelyn Joseph linked the revolution that World Cup 2007 will set off with the Caribbean’s own efforts to establish certain conventions throughout the region which will bring it up to international standards. Among these are provisions for dispute settlement, consumer protection, non-discriminatory practices, the absence of cross border restrictions, removal of movement restrictions, regional academic accreditation, and athlete and coach qualification across borders. With post-World Cup infrastructure in place the aims of the single market will become easer and this is another reason for the region to really put its best foot forward and make the eagerly awaited event a success. The seminar was a good opportunity for information to be disseminated by regional experts and for the concerns of the sport associations to be aired and addressed. It was part of a buildup to the Olympics which begins on August 13 and the 2007 Cricket World Cup.