PanAm Games, World Champs to be used to gauge BVI’s readiness for 2020 Olympics

The BVI Olympic Committee will be using the two remaining senior international track and field events of 2019 to gauge their athletes’ readiness for the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.

On that premise, President of the Olympic Committee Ephraim Penn told BVI News the territory will be aiming for its first ever Pan American Games medal this year.

“Our big hope is that Mr Kyron McMaster, all health and good condition, should break that barrier for us as he broke the barrier last year for us at the Commonwealth Games. And then we have the World Championship in Qatar in October. Those are the two major meets that will propel us into the Olympics,” Penn said.

He also made mention of a few other athletes who are expected to do well at the Pan American Games.

“We have Chantel Malone, Ashley Kelly, and Eldred Henry. Those are our key athletes at the senior meets this year and those are the ones that we will be looking forward to doing great things next year at the Olympics,” he said.

Plans to Develop future Olympians

President Penn also revealed that there will be a reintroduction of a programme aimed at developing young athletes. The programme had ceased after the 2017 natural disasters.

“We were part of a programme called a Long-term Athlete Development Programme through Canada Sports For Life where we identify athletes and then put them in a stream. We’re going to start that programme back in September and looking at these athletes here now, we are already projecting — with the help of the BVIAA — a promising future,” Penn said.

He believes this programme coupled with other existing ones will steer the athletes in the right direction.

“We’re securing the funding and we will work very closely with the different national federations to make sure that they are well taken care of. We have a programme called the Elite Athlete Programme and an Emerging Athlete Programme where we fund,” he added.