By Neto Baptiste
Household, clothing and sports store, Cool & Smooth, has offered two-year contracts with sportswear providers New Balance and Joma to all of the country’s athletes who won medals at the recently concluded Carifta Games track and field championships held in Jamaica.
The announcement was made by technical director for football, Sowerby Gomes, during a recent celebration for 100 meters gold medallist, Dwayne Fleming.
“Cool & Smooth is going to be sponsoring each of the medalled athletes for two years with the sporting brands of New Balance and Joma, and for all of the other athlete who would have attended the Carifta Games and medalled, then that sponsorship will also go on for two years.
“It tells you that corporate Antigua is looking out for our athletes and Mr George Hourani and Mr Amir Hourani are very much in the attitude of giving and recognising the hard work of our young athletes across Antigua and Barbuda,” Gomes said.
The offer comes on the heels of a successful showing for Antigua and Barbuda at the Carifta Games in which the country won three medals in the track and field events held at the Jamaica National Stadium.
Meanwhile, Minister of Sports, Daryll Matthew, pledged government’s continued support through the upgrading and provision of adequate facilities.
“A lot of these countries, they don’t have more talent than we do, but perhaps all they have are better facilities, better infrastructure and better support. So, now that we have seen yet again, the kind of raw talent that we have, the onus is on us to put the other mechanisms in place to ensure that not only you, Mr Fleming, and your counterparts who travelled to Carifta with you, but all of the aspiring athletes can really have everything they need to be the best versions of themselves and the best athletes possible,” he said.
Also medalling at the Carifta Games was triple-jumper Alyssa Dyett with bronze, while 400 meters hurdler Craig Pendergast also won bronze.
Antigua and Barbuda also won five medals in the pool in Barbados with Ethan Stubbs-Green winning two gold and two bronze, while Ellie Shaw won bronze.