Prime Minister Mia Mottley says the success of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) demonstrates cricket’s power to unite the region, while underscoring the importance of continued investment in sporting infrastructure.
The prime minister was speaking to reporters following the CPL final at Kensington Oval, the Mecca of Caribbean cricket, where the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons captured their maiden CPL title with a commanding eight-wicket win over the Jamaica Kingsmen.
“When we decided to bring CPL back here with the finals this time, we expected that we would have a good turnout, but we didn’t expect that it would be so overwhelming. I want to thank Bajans, I want to thank all who have traveled here.
“Of course I need to thank the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons for being such an exemplary team. From the very beginning they displayed leadership, commitment and perseverance,” Prime Minister Mottley added.
When questioned about whether Barbados would seek to host next year’s final, Mottley suggested that other countries will be vying for the rights, but that Barbados remains committed to hosting future editions.
“We’re not greedy, but we’re going to be in the mix even if not next year, in the near future. I know that there are other countries that have been speaking and we will work with them, but as I said, this is something that unites the region and once we get the ability for people to travel and move easily, then I think you’re going to see a lot more Caribbean people move for CPL cricket.”
Prime Minister Mottley is also pleased with the increased levels of local sporting success, following government’s commitment to the establishment of new training programmes and the upgrading of infrastructure across several sporting disciplines.
“I feel strongly about this. You have to invest. You cannot stand back and just see things and hope out of serendipity that things will happen. I’m happy with the money that we’re putting into the high performance center and I really want to make the investment in our young people because as we’ve always said, global citizens, Bajan roots. Global citizens, Caribbean roots, our sportsmen are global citizens,” Mottley explained.
She also highlighted the construction of the new national stadium at Waterford, as an example of the government’s commitment, while noting that it has come despite challenging financial times for the country.
The prime minister was also optimistic that the CPL had contributed in a major way to the Barbadian economy, saying that she was looking forward to seeing some positive numbers.
(KH)
