Source- Real News Antigua:
Criticism by MP Kelvin “Shugy” Simon about the Government’s lack of interest in sports appear to be justified, as the Ministry of Sports has announced the postponement of a schools competition.
On Thursday night, MP Simon chastised the minister of Sports, Daryll Matthew, and the Administration, in general, for their failure to do more than give a passing nod to sports during the Budget Debate last December.
Simon told his audience that less than one million dollars has been allocated to all the sporting disciplines, collectively, for development in 2024, and this is an indication of the
Government’s indifference.
The abrupt notice that the highly anticipated semi-finals and finals of the Secondary School Football Competition 2023 came today, Friday, January 19.
The event has been pushed back by another two weeks at least, due to the state of the venue, the Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG), where the One Nation Concert was held last Saturday, January 13.
Officials say they were forced to take the decision to reschedule, because the ARG is dirty and there are broken bottles on the playing field.
“The safety and well-being of players, officials, and fans [has] been cited as the primary reasons behind the sudden deferment of the matches,” the Ministry of Sports has said, while apologizing for any disruptions to plans.
It notes that “uncleanliness and the presence of hazardous materials on the field are not conducive to a safe and competitive sporting environment.”
However, the Ministry says it is fully committed to rectifying these concerns promptly.
The new dates for the semi-finals and finals have been set for Wednesday, January 31, and Friday, February 2, respectively.
Both events are still scheduled to be hosted at the ARG, the Ministry adds.
It assures the public that concerted efforts are being made to address the current challenges and to guarantee a secure and enjoyable experience for all participants and spectators.
Meanwhile, a critic is asking why the Browne Administration would host a concert there on the weekend prior to the important sporting event, knowing the field would not have been cleaned in a timely manner.
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How long did they know ARG needed cleaning? Jokey.
What a bunch of numb skulls aka coonoomoonoos.
What about Yasco, they abounded there to at some point. They care nothing about our youths, sports and health care in this country. It breaks my heart as an Antiguan to see how my people are been treated with such non human attitude. Someone made a comment Antigua people just be grateful for what Gaston did for this country ..please I am grateful to my enslaved ancestors who fought for this country for him and us to be here. All they care about is to sell land to non nationals and get rich and they make it so hard for us as Antiguans to own a piece of what our ancestors died for. There need to be community centers to occupy these youths as they kick them out of school as young as 15 and forget about them. 🙄🙄
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