On the afternoon of Thursday March 22nd, a contingent of local sports personalities, all decked in uniformed regalia, gathered in the Executive Council’s Conference Room for a meet and greet session and a send-off ceremony with Governor Tim Foy and Mrs. Foy.
The group of sporting enthusiasts will be participating in the Commonwealth Games at the Carrara Stadium in Queensland, Australia during the period April 4th to 15th. Anguilla’s sports-folk include a team cyclists and a team of boxers who would join up with a team of sprinters and track-and-field athletes in Australia.
Before their departure they took advantage of this opportunity to express their thanks for the local support they have received from the Ministry of Sports and to express their appreciation to Governor Foy. They also declared their intent to win at whatever is thrown at them at the Carrara Stadium, and shared their hopes for the future.
Mr. Calvin Harrigan is the coach for the boxers, and this is what he had to say: “I want to say thanks to everyone that has played a part in propelling us to the level where we are at today. It was not easy to reach to this stage, especially after the hurricane, when some of us lost so much. However, what I would like to know is what’s next when we return from the games. We are in need of some boxing equipment, and we see ourselves in need of continued support to make it to the next level.”
When asked how confident he felt about the team’s participation in the games, Mr. Harrigan answed: “Well, we wouldn’t leave if we were not ready to win. We don’t have any doubts in our minds about winning. We are ready to do it like today. That is what boxing is all about”
Mr. Derrick Carty is the coach for the cyclists. He said: “I want to thank all who have helped us to reach this far on our way to the Commonwealth Games. But, yes, one of the things that was talked about is continuation. How would we take it to the next level and grow? When we take trips like these we must be able, upon our return, to bridge certain gaps, not only for ourselves but for Anguilla on a whole. What I intend to do is to laison with other official cyclists in the future to see how we can bridge such gaps for our country.”
The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Games and commonly known as “Gold Coast 2018”, is an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth. In total 275 events in 18 sports will be contested.
It will be the fifth time Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games. The official motto for the 2018 Games is “Share the Dream”. It was chosen to highlight the dreams and experience at the games that are shared by participants – ranging from athletes to volunteers of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The Anguillan wishes the local participating teams the best of luck.
