Sports Is Not For Grandstanding: Pringle Urges Government To Pay More Attention To Sports and Sporting Facilities

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Member of Parliament for the All Saints East & St. Luke Constituency for a third successive term, Jamale Pringle.
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By Neto Baptiste

Political Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) Jamale Pringle, has hit the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) for what he has labelled a wanton neglect of sports and sporting infrastructure across Antigua and Barbuda.

In an interview with Observer media, Pringle accused the ABLP and its ministers of using sports as a form of showboating, showing up only for photo opportunities when things go well, while neglecting the basic needs of athletes both at a national and community level.

“Sports is not for grandstanding. It’s a way of life for many persons. It’s an avenue that could help to alleviate poverty in society and it’s a way of bringing people together. I think that it’s, if not the most unifying aspect of society — because I know that in my constituency it doesn’t matter whether you’re red or you’re blue, once there is a football game then all persons are rallying behind the team of that community. I think that the neglect by the government to upgrade the facilities, shows clearly that they are not interested in building the sporting sector within Antigua and Barbuda,” he said. 

Pringle pointed to the long term neglect of the country’s most popular and historic sporting venue — the Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG) — as an example of how much value is placed on sports by the Minister of Sports Daryll Mathew and, by extension, the government.

“When you look at Sir Andy Roberts who is still alive, Sir Curtly, Sir Viv, Sir Richie and you have Ridley Jacobs, Enoch Lewis, you have Zorol Barthley and all these persons are still alive and they played a very important role. Everton Gonsalves in football, Mervyn Richards, Peter Byers and you have all these people who have put Antigua’s name on the map as it relates to sports, the ARG should be that place where you, as tourist or a sports enthusiast, can pass through and go and at least see one of these icons or at least get a photograph,” he said.

Member of Parliament for the All Saints East & St. Luke Constituency for a third successive term, Pringle urged the government to zone the country where it pertains to sporting facilities and then invest heavily in at least one facility in every zone.

“I am not saying you go on a rampage and fix all the community fields or whatever but you have to now start to zone the country and ensure that at least one proper facility with bathrooms, change rooms and stuff like that is in every zone so that while I don’t have it in my community, it is close by that I can go and utilize the training facilities in a meaningful way,” he said.

One other party member and MP for the St Mary’s South Constituency, Kelvin “Shugy” Simon, had previously taken the government to task over what he termed “disrespectful” treatment of sports and the sporting population here in Antigua and Barbuda.

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