By Robertson S. Henry
Addressing the candlelight ceremony, of the second edition of the OECS / ECCB International Netball Series last Saturday February 12, 2022, Dominica’s Minister of Sports, Culture, and Community Development Roslyn Paul, said: “We are excited because we are now moving to a safe return of organized sporting events, and under special safety controls, with the OECS tournament being the first after a long halt in sporting activities.
Saturday’s candlelight ceremony was the first official event of the 2022 OECS / ECCB International Netball Series and took place in the conference room at State House – home of the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
“We are excited because this regional and internationally featured event is helping to showcase our country Dominica across the region and the world, and as a venue for such games,” the Dominica minister told the assembled guests.
According to Sherma John, Country Manager for the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Dominica, “The ECCB’s engagement with the netballers transcends that of a sponsor, as it seeks to mentor the young athletes through the hosting of a personal development session during the tournament.”
The session is geared at empowering the participants to achieve their full potential by improving performance, and new skill and knowledge development.”
Three of the six participating countries were arriving at the Charles-Douglas Airport as the ceremony was underway. Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda squads arrived on Saturday evening, while Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and hosts Dominica were already settled in their respective team accommodations.
Her Excellency Loreen Bannis-Roberts, the special envoy for Netball Dominica told the assembled guests “It is important for us as a region to continue to support netball, the number one sport for women and girls in our Caribbean region. The ultimate goal is for our member territories to improve our international rankings by being within the top ten in the world. This is not an unattainable goal! This can be made possible through partnerships and collaborative efforts between the private sector, government, global partners, and each of us.”
The tournament gets underway on Sunday afternoon with three matches, following the official opening ceremony, expected to be attended by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt.
The OECS / ECCB International Netball Series is rotated annually among the ECCB member countries, with St. Vincent and the Grenadines hosting the first competition in 2019. Grenada took home the newly mined Gloria Ballantyne trophy. The tournament was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the raging coronavirus pandemic, but Dominica from February 12 – 18, 2022, will host the second edition at the Windsor Park hard courts in Roseau.