Sports
BVI to get international standard swimming pool
By MERRICK ANDREWS
Online News Editor
The British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (BVIOC) said it has secured the donation of a 25-metre “international competition standard” swimming pool valued at $400,000 from Panam Sports.
The “short course” pool will be installed and managed by the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on Tortola, British Virgin Islands, according to the BVIOC said in a press release.
In comparison, an Olympic-size swimming pool must be 50-metres long and is known as a long-course pool.
The BVIOC said the project came to fruition after six months of discussions between President of the BVIOC, Ephraim Penn; Secretary General for Panam Sports, Ivar Sisniega; and President of the HLSCC, Dr. Richard Georges.
World Aquatics — the international swimming federation, formerly known as FINA – is also supporting the project.
“Preparatory work on the proposal included a meeting with the President of the BVI Swimming Federation, schematics from Myrtha Pools received through Panam Sports and a rough order of magnitude,” the BVIOC said.
Myrtha Pools is a swimming pool contractor operating out of Castiglione delle Stiviere in Italy.
“Dr. Georges initially approached the BVIOC in July with an offer of partnership for the installation of a swimming pool following a response I had given to a question on the status of swimming in the territory at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games press conference,” said President Penn in the release “This was a timely outreach that came on the heels of a Panam Sports National Olympic Committee Consultation meeting that Secretary General Lloyd Black, Treasurer Mark Chapman and I attended in Miami in May 2022.”
Pan AM Sports’ Sisniega added: “A short course 25 meter pool is the ideal sized pool for a small country, since it would allow the swimmers to compete in official distances, while at the same time supporting a learn to swim program that would help develop local talent and, more importantly, give the opportunity to many of the local children and youth the opportunity to learn to swim properly and to engage in this sport on a regular basis.”
Officials said the donation of the swimming pool to the BVI is a pilot for other national Olympic committees in the Caribbean.
The Committee ssaid the project is aligned with the College’s master plan as the swimming pool supports its marine and maritime curriculum as well as its vision for the student experience.
The BVIOC also disclosed that the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) has been invited to oversee and manage the preparations and construction of the facility.
“Swimming and water safety are essential life skills and should be taught at a young age. The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports has been considering the prospect of delivering this necessary component of the national curriculum. Thus, we are pleased that HLSCC has collaborated with the private sector to deliver a facility that would open up access to many aquatic disciplines, thereby giving all students and the wider community the opportunity to be taught water safety and to engage in aquatics. I commend Dr. Georges, Mr. Ephraim Penn and the parties involved in the project and thank Panam Sports and World Aquatics for their commitment to the BVI through the BVIOC,” said Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Sharie de Castro, was quoted as saying in the press release.
“The next step in the process is to put the proposal together for the funding for the civil works and ancillary elements of the aquatics center such as the administrative offices, changing facilities, gym and therapy area, stands, storage rooms etc,” said Dr. Georges, who has identified potential financiers for the project.
With flags raised high and spirits even higher, the 52nd CARIFTA Games officially opened this afternoon at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) delegation joined over 20 participating nations in a vibrant and colorful opening ceremony that signaled the start of three days of premier youth athletics in the Caribbean.
Team BVI, who departed the Territory on Thursday, April 17, arrived eager and ready to compete for podium finishes, national records, and personal bests. Accompanying the team are Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Hon. Sharie de Castro, along with coaches, officials, BVIAA executives, and proud parents.
The BVI Delegation includes:
Athletes: Antuan Maduro, Andre Allen, Sam’Asia Leonard, Macayla Logan, McKenzie Crabbe, Jameila Chambers, Shyra Stoutt, Ty’Rique “TyTy” Charles, J’Den Jackson, Othniel Gillings, A’Sia McMaster, Kijana Callwood, Makeda Christopher, Romeena Davis, Jahrime Allen, Latriel Williams, Jah’Kyla Morton, Deneil Clarke, Tiondre “Dre” Frett, Jabari Pemberton, Mario Carter, Jaheem Lennard-Joseph, Lashawn Gibbs, Shannia Johnson
Officials and Support Staff: Minister Sharie de Castro, Coach Winston Potter, Shaumal Donovan, BVIAA President Steve Augustine, BVIAA General Secretary Stephanie Russ Penn
The 2025 Games, running from April 19–21, mark the return of the competition to Trinidad and Tobago for the first time since 2005. Expectations are high as the region’s top junior athletes gather to compete in track and field events, with powerhouses like Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Barbados already making strong impressions in preliminary sessions.
This year’s campaign builds on Team BVI’s impressive showing in 2024 at the CARIFTA Games in Grenada. M’kenzii Crabbe made headlines with a 12.40-second finish in the Girls U17 100m heats, while Tiondre “Dre” Frett captured bronze in the Boys U20 200m with a time of 22.18 seconds—highlighting the BVI’s growing strength on the regional athletic stage.
Team BVI is ready to make their mark on Caribbean athletics once again.
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) rugby team secured the Plate at the 2025 Kowloon RugbyFest, held on March 27 in Hong Kong. The one-day, 10-a-side tournament drew teams from around the world, with the BVI squad advancing through the competition to emerge Plate champions.
This year’s RugbyFest featured more than 30 teams across multiple divisions, hosted at King’s Park Sports Ground. The tournament, organized annually by the Kowloon Rugby Club, is one of the largest social rugby events in Asia and includes elite, open, and veteran brackets.
The BVI squad, which included several young players making their debut debut outside of the Caribbean and Central America.—Roquan Hemmering, D’Von Jones, Jayden Williams, and Gethin Jones—recorded a series of wins and competitive matchups en route to the Plate final. Their performance earned them a place among the top contenders of the tournament’s second-tier playoff round.
In addition to their tournament participation, BVI players were invited to join the Pot Bellied Pigs RFC in a memorial rugby match honoring the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings. The match took place as part of the club’s annual tribute event during RugbyFest. The Pot Bellied Pigs, based in Asia, are known for combining rugby with charitable initiatives and commemorative matches.
The BVI team’s involvement in the memorial game marked the first time the territory was represented in that capacity at RugbyFest.
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The British Virgin Islands will be well represented on the global stage later this month as sprinters Beyoncé Defreitas and Rikkoi Brathwaite prepare to compete at the 2025 World Indoor Championships in Tokyo. The BVI Athletics Association officially announced their selection for the prestigious competition, set to take place from March 21 to 23 at the Nanjing Sports Training Center.
Brathwaite, a semi-finalist at last year’s Indoor World Athletics meet, will take to the track on March 21 for the 60m preliminaries at 9:10 a.m. local time. If he advances, he will return for the semifinals at 4:10 p.m. the same day. Defreitas will follow on March 22, with her 60m preliminaries scheduled for 7:15 a.m. and semifinals at 4:15 p.m.
The BVI is aiming to add to its medal count at the World Indoor Championships, with its sole podium finish coming in 2008 when Tahesia Harrigan-Scott secured bronze in the 60m sprint in Valencia, Spain. Now, Brathwaite and Defreitas look to make history once again for their nation.
Accompanying the athletes will be Ralston Henry, a World Athletics-certified senior coach, who will serve as both coach and team manager for the Championships.
The team is set to depart for Tokyo on March 13, ready to compete against the world’s best.
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