To all our Sport graduates at Cave Hill, St. Augustine, Mona and Global Campus this message is for you.  Whereas, Mr. Joseph was addressing the Global Campus graduates, he has given permission for his message to be extended to all our graduates.

PRESIDENT'S DESK

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

On Friday 15 November 2024, I had the distinct privilege of delivering the Keynote Address to the first graduates from the University of the West Indies (UWI) Global Campus’ Academy of Sport. I thought that it was an opportunity to emphasise CANOC’s relationship with UWI and the opportunities this affords graduates in sport. What follows is the full text of my presentation.
 
What immeasurable joy you, the graduates, must be experiencing at this moment, in this space, knowing that this evening you are being celebrated and will yourselves, celebrate, the end of yet another phase of your life’s journey towards and beyond excellence.
 
This evening, you graduate from the University of the West Indies. But this is no ordinary Graduation. It is an historic occasion. You are the very first graduates from our region’s premier education institution as it breaks ground with the introduction of the Sports Programmes in a new faculty, The Global Campus Academy of Sport.
 
Put simply, you are a very special group of people, Caribbean pioneers.
You have endured the challenges of what has been an arduous academic adventure, overcame every obstacle, fought the great fight, always imbued by the spirit of true sportsmanship, determination and an unwavering resolve and commitment to success, in your quest to become the next generation of our region’s sport practitioners, sport administrators.

As the President of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees, CANOC, it gives me immense pleasure to be here with you, being part of UWI’s latest innovative undertaking and delivering the keynote address.  We welcome you, members of the 2024 Graduating Class, to the gene-pool of Caribbean sport practitioners, fully cognizant that it is the likes of you who will be charged with taking hold of the proverbial baton of sport development, carrying it forward to future generations. CANOC itself, as a premier Caribbean sport institution, could not be prouder. We are eternally grateful for the opportunity afforded us this evening.
 
Your graduation today comes in the wake of the remarkable achievements of St Lucia’s Julien Alfred, Thea LaFond of Dominica, in winning their countries first gold medals at the Paris2024 Olympics, and Jamaica’s Roje Stona, winning his country’s first Olympic gold in the Discus Throw, highlights of continued Caribbean sporting excellence.  These should serve to motivate you to a level of anxiety to get started in your new professional life in sport, eagerly applying the knowledge and skills you have acquired at the UWI’s Academy of Sport, wherever needed.
 
In 2023, CANOC signed an Agreement with UWI that enhances our collective endeavour to better serve our Caribbean region through sport, building upon the foundations of our rich sporting legacy, and firmly committed to regional integration as an imperative.
 
For far too long sport and academia have been separated in our region, to the detriment of our individual and collective sport development.  CANOC’s intention is to deepen our relations, enhance our collaboration with UWI, through the Faculty of Sport and the relevant Academies in the critically important areas of research, capacity building, athlete engagement and region-specific strategic sport development initiatives.
 
Our relationship with UWI extends to combining resources towards the development of the Hope Estate Project in Grenada - a multi-sport high performance centre for this region.  Not only will this offer a plethora of opportunities for graduates like yourselves, but it ultimately seeks to create linkages amongst our Caribbean organizations, filling and bridging an historical gap which has long inhibited our individual and regional sport development framework.  CANOC is proud to be part of this significant project, and we look forward to working closely with the Global Campus as we rally our colleagues in sport, to support this initiative. 
 
Amongst CANOC’s strategic imperatives, is the implementation of our recently approved Sustainability Action Plan, 2025 – 2030, consistent with our signing of the United Nations/International Olympic Committee Sport for Climate action, addressing 14 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals; Sport Policy Surveys, Capacity-building Webinars, Seminars and Workshops; and the creation of opportunities for sport graduates to be fully engaged in the broader Caribbean sport development process in all emerging career pathways, ensuring an all-embracing Caribbean Sports Culture. We anticipate that graduates like yourselves and those who follow in your footsteps, will benefit greatly from the experiential learning and experiences gained from being part of the various working teams and committees established to bring these projects to fruition, driving the change that will enable us to stand shoulder to shoulder with our international counterparts in fashioning and sustaining the Caribbean’s sporting landscape. 
 
To the leadership of the Global Campus, Dean Mansingh and members of the Faculty of Sport, I thank you for your continued efforts in re-imagining and reshaping the role that sport plays in the lives of our people and regional development.
 
CANOC, today, recommits itself to our continued collaborations and the integration of our strategic imperatives.  Collectively, we can achieve what we at CANOC insist takes us all, Beyond Possible.
 
Finally, dear graduates, this evening is about you. I join with all here gathered in applauding you for having taken the bold ambitious steps towards personal development.
 
We thank you for recognising the important role that sport plays in the lives of the peoples of the Caribbean.  We congratulate you on making the transition to professions in sport. We look forward, with much optimism, to the contributions you will undoubtedly make to the region’s sport culture and through it, to sustainable regional development.
 
Thank you all and may God richly bless you in all your future endeavours.

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