As CLR James' key work Beyond a Boundary indicates, sport is central to Caribbean societies. Sports personalities in cricket, football and athletics have become the region’s heroes, attaining global recognition and praise. Sport is also unique in its contribution to society because of its power to impact all areas of human development.
In 2015-2016, the St. Augustine and Cave Hill campuses hosted conferences focused on sport. At The UWI St. Augustine, the 2nd biennial conference of Sport Studies and Higher Education focused on Physical Literacy: Gender, Science, Sport and Development. The conference on the Cave Hill Campus, titled The Game Changer: Professionalize and Transform, addressed the potential of sport for development across a range of sectors including tourism, gender equality, youth and community engagement, science and technology.
(L-R) UWI Sportsman of the Year 2016, Chadwick Walton, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, The Honourable Darryl Smith and Managing Director of RBC (which sponsored the event) Mr Darryl White.
The first graduates of the joint UWI-University of New Brunswick MSc in Sports Science graduated at the Cave Hill Campus in October 2015. Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles also presented Honorary Graduate Dr. the Hon. Usain Bolt OJ with the inaugural Alumni Exemplar Sports Award on Thursday, October 29, 2015, at The UWI Regional Headquarters, in recognition of Dr. Bolt’s outstanding sportsmanship and record-breaking athletic performance. The Vice-Chancellor stated that Dr. Bolt is a sports legend, deserving of this special Exemplar award which highlights his talent, zeal and determination. Going forward, the award will be presented every three years to outstanding alumni in the field of sports.
On April 27, 2016, the Vice-Chancellor established a new awards programme to recognize student athletes' exemplary performance in sports at the university level, as well as their integrity, volunteerism and commitment to other aspects of university life. Cricketer Chadwick Walton of the Cave Hill Campus and Mona Campus student and badminton-player Katherine Wynter, took the titles of Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, representing these ideal UWI student athlete characteristics. Describing his vision for the awards, the Vice-Chancellor said, "Sports inspire, motivate and energize us all. The University has a responsibility to celebrate [these athletes'] discipline, talents and excellent performances. It is our hope that creating this opportunity will help pave the way to The University becoming more recognized regionally and internationally as a centre for sports excellence".
At the ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Beckles also honoured athletes who have shone a spotlight on the region through their sporting accomplishments. Special awards were presented to former UWI students Jason Holder, current captain of the West Indies Test and One day International Cricket Team, track and field athlete and Rio 2016 Olympian, Jehue Gordon, cricketers Deandra Dottin and Carlos Brathwaite who represented the West Indies during the 2016 Women’s and Men’s World Cup T20 matches.
In its upcoming 70th anniversary year, The UWI plans to establish a Faculty of Sport to build on the Caribbean’s global reputation for sporting excellence, to become an internationally-recognized teaching, research and training centre in sport and sports-related disciplines such as sports science, sports medicine, physical therapy and rehabilitation, sports management, tourism, entrepreneurship, law, sports engineering, sports nutrition, and more. The Faculty of Sport would enable The UWI to demonstrate the potential of sport as a catalyst for development in the region.
