Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Oct 29, 2025

Gov't pledges full financial support to local athletes participating in Summer Olympic Games

Gov't pledges full financial support to local athletes participating in Summer Olympic Games

Government has made a commitment to offering full financial support to all local athletes who will participate in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan later this year.

Premier Andrew Fahie made that promise during the BVI Athletic Association Athlete Gala held at the Moorings on Tortola recently.

The Premier said he had met with local professional athletes to hear their concerns ahead of the Summer Games which begins on Friday, July 24.

“It is unfair for them to be getting ready for this Olympic meet and all the other athletes are being compensated or their needs being met and our athletes are worrying about all kinds of other things. So, they sent in their budget and we gave them the commitment that we are going to honour it 100 percent,” Premier Fahie said.

Fahie, who is also the Minister of Finance, said the assistance from government will lift a burden from the shoulders of both the athletes and their families.

“It has been a financial strain on the families … and it is not easy finding that kind of money and still having to live a regular life keeping loans, etcetera current. That’s why we have stepped in because you (athletes) cannot be carrying the country, and the country not carrying you,” Fahie added.


Not a political stunt

He also made it clear that the assistance which will be provided by government is not a political stunt.

“When it comes to our commitment, I didn’t just say that we are going to support athletics because it is the political thing to do. I feel by now most of you understand when I say we are going to do it, we are going to do it. That’s not just talk,” the Premier stated.

Meanwhile, Sports Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley said that government will continue to lend support to local athletes outside of the Olympic Games.

He said: “We are ensuring that you are going to get the support that you need to participate in local, regional and international meets.”


BVI Athletes for Olympics

So far, two of the BVI’s professional athletes have qualified for the 2020 Olympics. They are hurdler Kyron McMaster and strongman Eldred Henry.

Long jumper Chantel Malone and sprinter Ashley Kelly will be hoping to qualify for the games in their respective events as the time progresses.

Malone will need a jump of at least 6.82 metres to qualify for the Women’s Long Jump, while Kelly will have to make the qualifying time of 51.35 seconds in the women’s 400 metre.

Both athletes have until June 29, 2020, to reach those respective marks.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
×