By Neto Baptiste
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Bodybuilding and Weightlifting Federation (ABBWF) Dave George, who is seeking a second three-year term as head of the organisation, said he feels unaccomplished after restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 limited his ability to complete a number of projects he had planned.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show just a little over 48 hours before the vote scheduled for Saturday afternoon, George said he could not walk away without asking for an opportunity to finish what he had started.
“I feel like I was robbed of 2020, the third of my three-year term because I didn’t get to do much. I had some plans that I wanted to execute in 2020 and especially carrying over from that high in 2019 when we had about six pros and we were building on a solid foundation in 2019 and we had a fantastic dashboard and game plan. I personally had some things I wanted to do like going into the schools and had more talks with students between the ages of 15 and 17,” he said.
A total of 74 members are set to cast their ballots on Saturday when voting takes place between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm on the third floor of the ABI Building located on Redcliffe Street. A total of 44 members must cast their ballots for the vote to be constitutional.
Despite the absence of on-stage activities in 2020, George believes much would have happened during the first two years of his tenure that would have earned him a second opportunity.
“One of the things I can be proud of if I am to go there is that when I took office in 2018, one of the first things I wanted to do was to add some parity and structure to how we conduct business because the bodybuilding federation is not just a federation, it is a company so we are registered as part of the Antigua and Barbuda Company’s Act so we operate as a business and if you operate as a business then there are certain processes that need to be streamlined,” the incumbent said.
“One of the things I had to do first was to ensure that I had one legally binding document in terms of the bylaws because we had a constitution and we had a document which was deemed as the bylaws under which the federation was governed,” he added.
George will be challenged by veteran women’s bodybuilder, Hazel Went, who said it’s time for a fresh approach.
“I think I have something new, something I think can improve the level of bodybuilding in Antigua and also the level of our competitors when they are ready to go out to championships regionally and internationally. One of the biggest things we need to do as far as the sport is concerned is to increase our membership base. The federation is small, the members are few in comparison to other sports and other sporting bodies,” she said.
Elite bikini pro athlete, Kimberly Percival will challenge national bodybuilding champion, Ollyn Martin for the post of vice president.