Junior athletes from around the globe are currently in Saint Lucia to compete in the Sagicor Junior International Tennis Tournament, being held at the Beausejour Tennis Facility. The tournament took off Sunday, with an opening ceremony and matches continue daily until August, 11.
A total of 75 athletes from 10 countries took to the courts on Monday as matches began to roll out. Participating countries include Guatemala, El Salvador, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG), Grenada, Barbados, Saint Lucia and Antigua & Barbuda.
A tournament official noted that in many cases, several parents have travelled to support their kids at the event “and to watch their loved ones compete.”
President of the St Lucia Tennis Association (SLTA) Stephen McNamara spoke of the Tennis Centre as “the home of tennis in Saint Lucia” as he welcomed the many players and visitors to the island, while urging them to take in some of the ‘lovely scenery’ on this beautiful island.
Noting that anyone, no matter their social or economic background will be given an opportunity to come and play at the Tennis Centre, Mc. Namara added: “We now have school programmes, we have grassroot programmes and hundreds of children come through the Tennis Centre in order to learn and to be able to play tennis.”
The SLTA president said in its 38th year running, the tournament has helped forged friendships and relationships among players from the region.
“We consider it to be the ‘mother of all tournaments’ in the region because of the length of time it has been going on” declared McNamara. “Its now a Grade I tournament …and it has a huge reputation which we are determined to preserve. We are determined to carry on this tournament …and to collaborate with sponsors like Sagicor who are in their fifth year of sponsoring this tournament.”
Speaking on behalf of the company, Sagicor’s Finance Manager, Pamphile Wally stated that “out of the 11 countries represented at this regional tournament we are proud to say that we operate in eight of those countries. And in Trinidad and Tobago we do have a long and productive relationship with the local Tennis association, with whom we sponsor a junior tournament… in July each year.”
He recalled that Sagicor’s relationship with the SLTA began in 2018, and “the competition’s history, success and impact were already well documented, and we are proud to contribute to its continued success.”
Wally said Sagicor’s goal over the past six years is “to continue to support the St Lucia Tennis Association in the hosting of this tournament – with the aim of bringing continued strong financial support and logistical expertise where needed, so that the young athletes are able to focus on playing tennis and to ensure that the tournament maintains its Grade 1 status within the ITF (International Tennis Federation)/COTECC (Confederation of Tennis of Central America and the Caribbean) family.”
He added, “The Sagicor Junior International Tennis Tournament provides us with the chance to contribute to the molding of young athletes, allowing them to participate in sport which offers a wide variety of options for the future. We also ensure continuity of the competition which is an important activity on the Tennis Association’s calendar and finally it allows for the continued association of Saint Lucia with tennis.”
Minister of Youth Development and Sport Kenson Casimir reiterated his pledge to support all sporting federations on island.
While appealing for greater corporate sponsorship for sporting activities, he told the gathering there were 129 courts and 90 playing fields in the country “and it is a very difficult task to ensure that we give parity when it comes to the maintenance of all the facilities.”
Consequently, the minister said, he requested “for cooperate buy-in if we are serious about the next generation of our male and female athletes.”
He recommends the formation of a ‘Naming Rights Policy’ “where companies can come to the fore and provide financial support to the different sporting fraternities and get their names fitted with those associations and facilities.”
Casimir noted that the contributions made by corporate sponsors serves greatly to help “deal with the social ills that we face.”