Nagamootoo urges Commonwealth Federation to unite through sports
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residents to evacuate.
Said Nagamootoo:“We all feel an elevation of the spirit and we all feel that we are triumphant because sports represents for me, the human value that rises above difficulties and challenges.”
He added:“We have a responsibility to use sports to help to rebuild, to meet the many challenges, the policies and strategies that governments cannot remedy successfully. Drug abuse, the crime epidemic, particularly among young people and sports we count on to deal with these social scorches, and every time you plan a Commonwealth Games and you mobilize in all our countries, it would help to bring young people into the centre of the pitch,” said Nagamootoo.
Meanwhile, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Louise Martin, called on the participants of the conference to stand in a moment of silence as they remembered the victims of the destructive hurricanes. Martin also encouraged the countries to continue working together, developing together and celebrating together as they strive to embody the theme of the Commonwealth, which is “A Peace Building Commonwealth”.
St. Lucia’s Minister of Culture and Commonwealth Games Federation Regional VicePresident of the Caribbean, Senator Fortuna Belrose, echoed the Prime Minister’s sentiments, pointing out that the GOA’s achievement is an important testimony for how the Commonwealth wants to position sport “by attracting and building on public/private social partnerships that widely benefit our athletes, our community and sports in general”.
The 2018 Common-wealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Gold Coast 2018, is an international multisport event for members of the Commonwealth will be held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from April 4 to 15.
Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, GOA President, K. Juman-Yassin, Secretary of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association, Dr. Karen Pilgrim, Minister of Sport, Dr. George Norton, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Olympic Association and Senator Chet Greene and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative for Guyana and Suriname, Sylvie Fouet, were some of the notable attendees of the conference.