After watching fellow Eastern Caribbean nations Grenada, St. Lucia and Dominica bask in the glory of their gold, silver and bronze medals won at the Paris Olympics, Antigua is preparing a completely reboot of its sports program and is set to appoint former West Indies Captain, Richie Richardson as its sports czar, officials said this week.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced plans to tap the services of Richardson but it appears that he will be appointed to cabinet as a sports minister or as a director of sports.
In the past two weeks, Grenada and Dominica have held huge rallies honoring their medal winners, awarding them with significant cash grants, land, national honors and diplomatic passports among other prizes.
“He’s definitely going to come on board and help us work with the minister. We want to make sure that the athletes have access to a proper gym so they can build their muscles.
Browne said the time has come to provide the proper facilities for athletes to give them a chance to compete on the international stage. The YASCO facility in the capital will be immediately upgraded with new bathrooms, gym facilities and viewing stands.
Richardson serves as an international match referee for the International Cricket Council but will likely have to abandon that role for full time duties at home.
He had captained the West Indies cricket team between 1991-95 and was highly regarded for his flair as a batsman. He made 5, 949 runs in tests and 6,248 in one day internationals. He is likely to replace current Minister of Sports, Daryll Matthew. He is to be appointed a senator. He was knighted locally and has an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies.
