DNA spokesman blames gov’t for inadequate YASCO

The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Spokesperson on Sports and Youth Affairs, Vere Cornelius, has called on government to place greater attention on sporting facilities here.
Cornelius, who unsuccessfully contested the St. John’s Rural East seat on a DNA ticket at the March 22 general elections, has accused the Gaston Browne administration of “dropping the ball” on the upgrade of the YASCO sporting facility, which he said has been overlooked for years.
“If they are not willing to sacrifice a few dollars to upgrade our sporting facilities so as to create much more opportunities for our young student athletes, I would just say that the government is really dropping the ball on the matter and the interest that they should be showing in our young athletes leave a lot to be desired.”
He said, for years, there have been complaints of the same issues including the condition of the track.
Cornelius added that work currently taking place at YASCO is affecting some athletes.
“The long jumpers are complaining that they have no place to train and they’re scheduled to go to the Youth Olympics in a couple of months.”
When it comes to the issue of athletes switching allegiance from Antigua to represent other nation states, Cornelius said, this is due to the absence of proper facility.
“We have the talent here but the lack of facility, that is what I think is more evident in keeping our athletes from wanting to represent our country and I think that the government need to put all of these facilities at a top-notch position where our athletes can be comfortable, where they can train at home,” he added.
The DNA spokesperson reiterated that the blame has to rest at the feet of the government, “because they understand the importance of sports and the link to furthering our young students’ education”.