Shafiqua Maloney who in August became the first Vincentian to make it to the finals of an Olympic event has been named among five sporting and cultural ambassadors for St. Vincent and the Grenadines this year.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced the appointment on Sunday as SVG celebrated its 45th anniversary of independence from Britain.
The life-long status entitles the recipients to hold a Vincentian diplomatic passport.
Gonsalves said Maloney is “an amazing athlete of exemplary excellence, as exemplified by her performance in the 800-metre women’s final at the Paris Olympics in 2024”.
The prime minister also announced that his Jomel Warrican, who, at age 17, was one of the frontline spinners in West Indies’ squad for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, has also been accorded the status of sports ambassador.
Gonsalves noted he was the second person from the Warrican family in his (the PM’s) home village of Colonarie to be named a sporting ambassador, following the late Irvin Warrican.
The third sporting ambassador is someone who has given “yeoman service,” Gonsalves said.
“And I want to say to him, you haven’t been forgotten, Fitzgerald John Hinds King, former national footballer coach, a FIFA referee and a trainer of special athletes,” Gonsalves said.
He noted that King has also been a personality in the carnival culture for 40 years.
The prime minister also announced “national footballer and outstanding youth personality” Olex Anderson as a sporting ambassador.
He also announced as a cultural ambassador “another person who is unsung.
“We haven’t forgotten you, Alvern ‘Ali’ Cadougan, who has been the iconic Nelson block costume band leader since 2003,” Gonsalves said.
“This is the first woman to have led a mas band for such a prolonged period of time, and her early years were spent too in the cultural fields of dance and drama. Congratulations, Ali, you deserve it,” he said at the military parade at Victoria Park.
All well deserved, …. ‘Gunny’ Hinds your turn coming next…..hold tight.
All the best to our ambassadors.
Anything Ralph does it is for election gains, he is using athletes who he otherwise would’t gave a cent for any sports. Now he want them on his side and not on the side of the majority of the oppressed and overtaxed SVG population. The good for nothing election rigging Ralph is going at it again.