The current draft of the National Sports Policy and the naming of the new members of the National Sports Commission (NSC) were among the talking points of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., yesterday in Agricola.
Ramson Jr., who visited the community to oversee the clean-up campaign as promised, was quizzed by reporters on the sidelines around the St. Anne’s Anglican Church where clogged drains were being cleared to alleviate flooding in the area.
According to Ramson Jr., the current draft of the National Sports Policy submitted by Assistant Director of Sport, Melissa Dow-Richardson, was being reviewed and modified to “reflect the mission and the direction of the ministry.
“The Sports Policy is currently being reviewed,” said Ramson Jr.
“It is going through a very serious process of consultation. I am also personally looking at the Sports Policy to see that it reflects the mission and the direction of the ministry,” he added.
“Once that is done and we amend the Sports Policy to reflect that direction, then we are going to share it with the associations once again and have working sessions with them because we will be having monthly sessions starting from Monday.”
Input from the associations will be critical in making modifications to the policy said Ramson Jr.
“When that is done, we will be able to tailor and make all the modifications of the policy that is sensible as part of the consultation process. Then that goes up to the Cabinet Sub-Committee, then to the Cabinet for it to be laid over in Parliament at the appropriate time.”
As it relates to the NSC, Ramson Jr., stated that he has to be satisfied with its core and leadership before it is installed “in the not too distant future.
“If you have a board that hasn’t done anything, then you have got to get to the bottom as to why they have not done anything before hurried decisions are made. The board hasn’t been functioning the way it should and it clearly requires leadership to make it function in the way that it is intended to.” He added “A new leadership is necessary to make things function the way that it should. I am not going to just aggressively appoint boards if they haven’t been working as they should.”
He disclosed himself along with the Cabinet has been paying attention and were keen on installing a competent board.
“I am the minister responsible for the board, so I will have to account for their performance and their subvention that they will receive. So I have to be satisfied that the commission will be functioning as it should and then be able to make the appropriate appointments as the time goes by,” he declared.
Ramson Jr., also stated that even with the absence of the NSC, local sports was vibrant albeit in a limited form due to the pandemic.
“Sports has energy and an intensity and the passion being led by the ministry and we are proud to know that we will be able to hand over to the sports commission in the not too distant future,” the minister concluded.