Grenada and its diaspora after the election

by Michael Bascombe

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell’s invitation to Grenadians abroad to help build the country should now lead to a permanent national programme. With a fresh mandate and 14 of Parliament’s 15 seats, his government has an opportunity to institutionalise the Diaspora initiative and give it a defined place in Grenada’s development.

At his inauguration at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium on Saturday, Mitchell acknowledged the Diaspora’s growing advocacy for good governance and progressive politics since 2022. He thanked overseas nationals for supporting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and participating in the election, while recognising their value beyond the electoral process. “We need you to also help us build Grenada,” he said.

During the lead-up to the election, the NDC, the New National Party (NNP), and the Democratic People’s Movement (DPM) all took their messages to Grenadians abroad. They held town hall meetings and sought support from communities that also contribute financially to political parties. Some registered voters living overseas travelled home to cast their ballots. That level of engagement should continue throughout the government’s term.

Successive administrations have recognised the importance of the diaspora. The Founding Conference in 2011 helped give that relationship a national focus. Grenada later developed a National Diaspora Engagement Policy and launched an Office of Diaspora Affairs in 2021. This year’s Diaspora Homecoming, held from June 21 to July 5, brought another opportunity to connect overseas nationals with home.

The Office of Diaspora Affairs needs a clear remit, professional staff, and a recurring budget. Its responsibilities should connect with the work of other ministries, embassies, and consulates, so that overseas engagement continues throughout the year. People offering assistance should be able to rely on a functioning public service with clear procedures and someone accountable for responding.

The government should adopt a multi-year action plan tied to national priorities, with specific projects, responsible agencies, and realistic funding. Annual reports to Parliament would allow the public to see what has been completed, what has stalled, and why. That would also give future administrations a record of commitments to carry forward and a basis for improving the programme.

The diaspora already supports families, schools, and healthcare, bringing investment and visitor spending. Its wider professional networks can help public services and local businesses.

Those connections matter, as trade disputes and international conflicts can affect costs and investment decisions. Grenada’s reliance on imports and tourism exposes it to events far beyond its shores, alongside the ongoing threat of natural disasters. Overseas expertise could help the country prepare stronger climate funding proposals, develop new markets, and ensure its needs are understood in international decision-making.

Grenadian coaches, sports medicine practitioners, sports psychologists, and administrators abroad could work alongside local sporting bodies and schools. They could help train coaches, support athletes’ physical and mental preparation, and improve how sporting organisations are run. Regular collaboration would help develop expertise at home.

Our elite athletes in athletics, basketball, cricket, and football could also introduce Grenada’s sporting bodies to their clubs, coaches, and specialist networks. Those contacts could lead to training exchanges, scholarship opportunities, and technical support, with local organisations responsible for following up and maintaining the partnerships.

Updating the existing mapping of overseas skills would give the programme a practical starting point. Hospitals, schools, businesses, and community groups could identify needs, then work with willing professionals abroad. Some could undertake short assignments at home. Others could mentor or advise online.

That outreach must extend across New York, Toronto, Florida, and the United Kingdom to include Atlanta, Houston, and communities throughout the Caribbean. Alumni associations and established community groups can help reach people whose experience may otherwise go untapped.

Grenadians abroad also deserve reliable consular services, clear information about investing or returning home, and timely replies when they offer assistance. Study visits and internships would give younger generations a chance to develop their own relationship with Grenada.

Within the first year, Grenadians should be able to find out how to join this work, who is responsible for it and which partnerships are delivering results. A public progress report would give us something concrete to judge and help identify where further support is needed.

Springer: Caribbean sports bodies still operating ‘amateurishly’

by Michael Bascombe

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, Oct. 31, 2026 - Many Caribbean sporting bodies have failed to keep pace with professional sport and still place administrative control ahead of athletes, veteran sports journalist, broadcaster, and administrator Vernon Springer has said.

Speaking on Saturday’s TalkSports programme, Springer argued that global sport has become a billion-dollar business, while some regional associations still operate without professional systems or an athlete-centred approach.

“Although the sport has evolved into being a billion-dollar industry, they’re still operating amateurishly,” he said. “Some of the associations think that they’re bigger than the athletes.”

Springer cited the treatment of former world 100m champion Kim Collins at the London 2012 Olympics as a case that still raises questions about transparency and due process. Collins was entered in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay but did not compete.

At the time, the St Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee said Collins had breached his participation agreement by missing meetings and training sessions and failing to keep officials informed of his whereabouts. The committee said it withdrew his Olympic Village accreditation after he did not return when instructed.

Collins offered a different account, saying he had stayed with his wife and found himself locked out of the village. He later said he remained unclear about why he had been excluded.

Springer maintained that Collins was never taken before a disciplinary committee and that the episode showed how poorly some organisations managed professional athletes.

“Nobody can tell the world why Kim Collins did not run in the London Olympics,” he said.

Collins won Commonwealth 100m gold in 2002 and the world title in 2003. Springer said his Adidas contract and access to a doctor, masseur, and agent gave him a professional structure that his national association did not possess.

“Kim was almost like a walking businessman, outside of being an ambassador,” Springer said.

He argued that some administrators struggled to accept agents and other specialists acting on behalf of athletes, even as Caribbean competitors became successful on the global circuit.

“While we have done well across the region in sports, most of our administrators have not been able to come up to the mark in terms of what professional sport would mean in the Caribbean,” Springer said.

Sir Kirani reaffirms nonpartisan role ahead of Grenada election

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Oct. 26, 2026 - Grenada’s Olympic champion Sir Kirani James has addressed political speculation surrounding a social-media photograph, reaffirming his duty to represent the country without partisanship.

Grenada’s Olympic champion issued the clarification on his Facebook page after the image appeared to raise questions about whether he had endorsed a party or political figures ahead of the country’s general election.

“This photo does not confirm nor deny my support for a political party, just as this statement does not confirm nor deny that either,” Sir Kirani said.

He did not identify a party or politician in the statement, explain the circumstances surrounding the photograph or disclose his voting preference.

Sir Kirani acknowledged that his standing as an internationally recognised athlete gives his actions considerable public influence.

“I do understand the unique position I am in and the influence that it can carry,” he said.

He drew a distinction between any private political views he may hold and his responsibility as a national representative.

“My duty as an international representative has always been to represent all of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in a nonpartisan way,” Sir Kirani said.

“The passion and pride to do so is not determined by who is in political office, but by the support and love of the Grenadian people.”

James became Grenada’s first Olympic medallist when he won the men’s 400 metres at the 2012 London Games. He added silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at the Tokyo Olympics and was recently installed as the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees’ first Sports Ambassador.

His statement comes as Grenada prepares for a general election on Thursday, November 5.

Sir Kirani used the attention surrounding the photograph to encourage eligible citizens to participate in the election and carefully consider their choices.

“To be able to vote in free and fair elections is an extreme privilege,” he said. “Treat it with the reverence and seriousness that it deserves, and understand that it is a civic duty for those of us who are in a position to vote.”

He urged voters to make decisions based on “a blend of your individual and collective morals and ideals.”

“The power is and always will belong with you, the people,” Sir Kirani said.

Sir Kirani James’ CANOC ambassador role to extend beyond ceremony

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Oct. 26, 2026 - Sir Kirani James will mentor athletes, address national Olympic committees and promote sporting and academic achievement across the Caribbean in an active role as the region’s first CANOC Sports Ambassador.

Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) President Keith Joseph says Sir Kirani James’ appointment as the organisation’s first Sports Ambassador was designed to give young Caribbean athletes a regional role model, not to create another ceremonial position.

The CANOC President rejected any suggestion that the position would be largely ceremonial.

“No, no, no,” Joseph said on Saturday’s TalkSports programme with Michael Bascombe when asked

about the scope of the appointment.

“Part of our engagement of the ambassador is to facilitate his being able to go to different fora, to speak with athletes, to be an example to athletes of what they can be.”

Sir Kirani was officially installed as CANOC’s inaugural Sports Ambassador during the organisation’s workshop in Curaçao on October 17.

Joseph said Sir Kirani could also attend assemblies of national Olympic committees, encourage young people to participate in sport, and challenge the perception that athletic involvement conflicts with academic achievement.

CANOC has also given the Grenadian the latitude to identify events and discussions at which he believes he can make a useful contribution.

Joseph said the position was established because prominent athletes can influence how children view themselves and their possibilities.

“We need people that our young people can look up to,” he said.

Joseph said Sir Kirani’s address in Curaçao reinforced CANOC’s decision. He noted that the former Olympic and world 400-metre champion repeatedly reflected on his upbringing and the people who supported his development.

“It appears as though throughout his career, he maintained a link with his roots,” Joseph said. “He was always aware that whatever he was achieving was intended not just for him, but for those who gave rise to what he would become.”

James became Grenada’s first Olympic medallist when he won the 400m at the 2012 London Games. He later secured silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, adding to the world title he won in Daegu in 2011.

Joseph argued that Caribbean sporting organisations had not done enough to preserve and promote the stories of regional athletes or explain the wider contribution sport has made to Caribbean identity.

“Kirani can do that for us,” he said.

Joseph described James as the strongest available choice because of his accomplishments, humility, and understanding of his wider regional influence. He said no objection was raised when the appointment was proposed.

CANOC could eventually appoint additional ambassadors. Joseph disclosed that the organisation had attempted to appoint a female athlete alongside James but had not completed the arrangement.

“We will also remember the importance of gender equity in this exercise,” he said.

Joseph did not announce a timetable or the first set of regional assignments for Sir Kirani.

CANOC chief questions Caribbean influence in world sport

by Michael Bascombe

KINGSTOWN, Oct. 25, 2026 - Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) President Keith Joseph has criticised Caribbean sports organisations for failing to convert representation within international federations into meaningful regional influence.

Asked on Saturday’s TalkSports programme with Michael Bascombe whether regional organisations were adapting quickly enough to the increasingly complex demands of international sport, Joseph replied: “No, not by a long shot.”

“We are afraid to talk because perhaps we are afraid to analyse,” he said. “We get the analysis more from our sports journalists, who are criticised for being analytical, than they deserve.”

Joseph argued that some national federations judged their international relationships mainly by the funding, equipment, or other assistance they secured rather than by their contribution to policy and decision-making.

He said Caribbean delegates attending international meetings should study agendas in advance, assess the implications for their countries, and develop shared regional responses.

“What are our Caribbean members of FIFA doing?” Joseph asked. “Are they just waiting for CONCACAF to take a lead for them, or are they themselves individually studying what this means for all of us?”

He said the region should be prepared to present collective proposals reflecting Caribbean needs instead of responding after decisions had already been shaped by larger and more influential blocs.

Joseph also questioned the Caribbean’s influence within the Olympic system. Although National Olympic Committees form a central part of the Olympic Movement, voting at IOC Sessions is conducted by individual IOC members rather than by each recognised national committee.

He said securing a Caribbean representative on an international executive should be treated as the beginning of the work, rather than the final achievement.

“Having one representative on the executive is not an impact,” Joseph said. “It may be that we gain recognition finally, but what do we do with that recognition?”

He called for regional representatives to report more consistently to Caribbean administrators, explain developments at international meetings, and seek guidance before positions are taken.

Joseph said CANOC’s growing engagement with African and Asian Olympic bodies was intended to build cooperation around shared history, expertise, and development needs.

Presidents of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the Olympic Council of Asia attended CANOC’s recent General Assembly in Curaçao. The organisations have identified coach exchanges, joint training, and shared technical experience as possible areas of cooperation.

Joseph said the Caribbean’s African, Indian, and Chinese heritage should provide a basis for stronger sporting and institutional ties.

“We may be able to understand that we have more in common than differentiates us,” he said.

Joseph was re-elected on October 18 to lead CANOC for the 2026–2030 term. He did not identify individual Caribbean federations or Olympic committees in his criticism.

“We’re not doing enough of that by any stretch of the imagination,” he said.