THE St. Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) on Thursday announced the national team for the Olympic Games scheduled from August 5 to 20 in Brazil.
The team comprises 5 athletes and 4 officials, the athletes will compete in three sporting disciplines athletics, sailing and swimming, in which St. Lucians have competed in the past.
Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy, the Minister responsible for Youth Development and Sports Edmund Estaphane and the SLOC President Fortuna Belrose will also be attending the Games.
Belrose said: “Over the last four years the SLOC has focused its attention on the provision of a greater level of support for athletes and the creation of a more athlete friendly environment in the delivery of its services”.
She noted that the SLOC has developed a number of tools and strengthened their internal systems to assist in facilitating and helping the athletes to realize their best performances at this year’s Games. It is a process that they are proud of as no athlete who is deserving has been left behind.
Belrose was quick to say that as with anything else there were challenges along the way. The SLOC began this journey over six years ago with a pool of approximately 20 athletes from six associations. These included athletics, boxing, cycling, sailing, swimming and volleyball. These associations identified the athletes who they were assessed had the potential to make it to Rio. Upon review, the SLOC worked within its parameters to provide the enabling environment and support for the associations and the athletes.
She said, “The SLOC invested over EC$3 million in preparing our athletes. This involved facilitating their participation at local, regional and international engagements directly funding training stints and programmes through our Elite Athlete Assistance Programme, providing support to Associations, and through the Olympic Solidarity Scholarships”.
Belrose continued: “The SLOC did this while ensuring that we adhered to the guidelines for reporting and accounting to all our funding partners. A number of athletes were beneficiaries of this support including the following more popular athletes – Athletics – Makeba Alcide, Rosen Daniel, Corneil Lionel, Jeanelle Scheper and Levern Spencer. Boxing – Arthur Langelier and Lyndon Marcellin, Sailing – Stephanie Devaux – Lovell, Swimming – Jordon Augier, Volleyball – Julian Biscette and Joseph Clercent”.
Jeanelle Scheper, by virtue of her meeting the qualifying standards for the Games, was the first St. Lucian to qualify in 2015 at the NCAA Championships with her record winning performance of 1.96 metres in the ladies high jump. Her personal coach Delethea Quarles has been accredited for the Games.
World ranked high jumper and multiple “Sportswoman of the year” winner Levern Spencer qualified at the recent World Championships with a height of 1.94 metres. At present she is St. Lucia’s most decorated athlete. This will be her third consecutive Olympics Games.
The SLOC boss said; “Based on what we have seen of Levern in the last year we believe that she is poised to deliver one of the best performances of her career. She appears all set for a podium finish. She is confident and she is now very mature. Her personal coach Petros Kyprianou will also be in attendance at the Games”.
Sprinter Jahvid Best who lives in the USA and met the qualifying mark of 10.16 seconds in the 100 metres last April in the USA, is also a member of the team.
Swimmer and current senior “Sportsman of the year” Jordan Augier will compete at the Games. Augier gained a Universality place, and fell just short of the qualifying mark at the Pan American Games in 2015. He will be accompanied by a former Olympian Jamie Peterkin as his coach.
Like Augier, female sailor Stephanie Devaux – Lovell also gained a Universality spot. Over the last eight years she has worked hard to qualify, but fell just short at the recent qualifiers in Rome, while in Rio Lovell will be under the watchful eye of coach Suzanna Pyatt at the Games, Pyatt.
Meanwhile, as part of the incentive programme for to St. Lucian athletes the SLOC has developed an Awards Scheme which reflect’s a contribution from the organization to the athletes based on their performance. Belrose said, “The SLOC recognizes the importance of acknowledging the effort of athletes and while the dollar amounts in no way represent the value of the achievement of delivering a medal for St. Lucia, they represent the value of the token of appreciation the SLOC will make to any athlete who medals for St. Lucia under the ambit of the SLOC.
That’s what up for grabs for a podium finish for any of the St. Lucian athletes in Rio – Gold Medal – $25,000.00, Silver Medal – $20,000.00, Bronze Medal – $15,000.00, Finals – $10,000.00 and Semi Final $5,000.00.