Bob Marley Heads to PASO; NOCs Have Questions Over Increased Funding

(ATR) Chet Greene, president of the Antigua & Barbuda Olympic Committee, tells Around the Ringshe welcomes the increased funding from PASO, but says simply receiving more money isn’t what matters.

"It’s about programs and the mechanism for accounting," he said. "Smaller NOCs need to be better resourced so we can be more competitive.

"We welcome more resources, especially small NOCs.

"As a region we have to start to discuss the issue of training opportunities that come available due to these resources."

He added that any increased funding must be used for "the greater good of sports."

Sports medicine is one area where small NOCs can apply the increased funding, Greene said, highlighting the need for better medical care and nutritional assistance.

"For the most part, we are happy-go-lucky," he told ATR.

"We compete on our natural athletic powers, but sports today have become very scientific. This is the present-day reality."

PASO Honors Marley

Perhaps the most famous Jamaican of all, Bob Marley, was honored by PASO on Wednesday night.

Richard Peterkin, president of the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee, organized a reception for delegates in honor of the reggae superstar’s birthday. Marley would have been 68, but he died in 1981.

"He’s my hero," Peterkin said.

Marley’s strongest Olympic connection, Peterkin told ATR, was the reggae star’s "love of football."

The reception took place poolside of the Jamaica Pegasus. While reviewing the schedule, Peterkin saw Wednesday was the lone night in Kingston without dinner for delegates.

He wanted to spread the good vibes Jamaica is known for to delegates, and "let people know we’re still on the map."

Toronto 2015 Update

Toronto 2015 CEO Ian Troop says with London 2012 in the books, the Americas are turning their attention solely to the Pan American Games – and Toronto is ready.

"We’re right where we need to be," he said.

"You can’t under-communicate" at this stage of the planning, Troop added.

Offering a preview of his presentation to the PASO Extraordinary General Assembly later this week, Troop said there will be a "full review of venues" including a "3-D fly-through" of select Games venues and a review of the sport program.

A topic of concern raised by the PASO Executive Committee on Wednesday, Troop said, was the entry of foreign citizens to Canada. Obtaining a visa can be a difficult process but, he said, the national government approved the use of credentials as visas.

With the Pan Am Games now commanding the attention of PASO, Troop said the organizing committee will increase its technical efforts. One department on display for the first time at PASO is the NOC Relations Department.

Another sign of the increased importance of the Games is the presence of Canadian broadcaster CBC for the meeting. CBC will broadcast the 2015 Pan Ams. Several representatives of the Ontario government also made the trip to Kingston.

Troop had one piece of advice for the four 2019 bid cities: Bolivar, Venezuela; La Punta, Argentina; Lima, Peru and Santiago, Chile.

"Think of these Games as more than a sporting event," he counselled. "They’ve got to have an impact socially in your community. Have a legacy beyond infrastructure.

"Think big," Troop said.

Written by Ed Hula III.

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