Commonwealth Dignitaries Speak On Big Issues

Some of the Commonwealth dignitaries already in town to grace the meeting of the General Assembly have shared their experience on the crucial issues of the major underlining principles of the Commonwealth Games in an exclusive interview with The Point yesterday at their resort.

Robert McVeigh, the Chairman of Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council, elucidated that Northern Ireland is like The Gambia with a population of 1.5million people. He said, “the Commonwealth is a great opportunity for a country of our size to market our names and perhaps encourage tourism with bigger nations like Australia, England, Canada, India and as well as smaller nations such as Nauru, Monseratt and Guernsey.”

Mr. McVeigh further explained, “The main goal of the Commonwealth Games is to foster friendship, improve our organisational ability and preparations in future games and to learn about other people’s cultures and their attitudes.”

Mr. McVeigh finally expressed his impressions about The Gambia and it’s friendly people.

Another delegate who spoke to this paper was the 1st Vice President of Jamaica Mr. Don Anderson. He also expressed the similarities between The Gambia and Jamaica saying that they expecting some update from India on how far they have gone with preparations for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi. He profusely claimed that Jamaica is not only known in Commonwealth Games but also a success story at the Olympics especially in the track and field events. This, Mr. Anderson said, is owing to better programme centres with high profile coaches, who are making all efforts for Jamaica to maintain their dominance and rub shoulders with bigger nations.

In a similar event the president of the CaymanIsland’s Olympic Committee, Mr. Donald McLean, representing a BritishOverseasTerritory with a population of 55,000 people, also admitted the essence of the Commonwealth Games is that it will help athletes to expose themselves with top class athletes in a major competition. Mr. McLean too admitted that the Commonwealth Games could serve as a ground for smaller nations to cement bonds with sport committees like Australia and India.

In all eight islands which remain under British control were represented at the meeting. They were Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Monseratt, Anguilla, Turks and Cailos, St Helena and the Falkland Islands.