Sports Development Foundation

SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2021 21 has been well man- aged throughout thispast quarter cen- tury, satisfyingall thebasicprinciplesof good governance and accountability. This has been confirmed through its annual audits by external auditors first by Coopers and Lybrand, which later became Price Waterhouse Coopers, now led by Leighton McKnight, who played a leading role in the early days in establishing operating procedures andstandards. Itsoperationshavebeen completely transparent, and reporting to the various authorities has been timely. Persons appointed to theboard with responsibility for making policy decisions have devoted their time vol- untarily in the best interest of sports. “We don’t always get it 100 per cent right, there have been errors, but that is a part of managing anything.” Fennell highlighted the fact that the SDF also supports sports that provide a platformforwomenwhohave strug- gled for recognition over the years. “Whilst the Olympic movement represents the bulk of the sports, there are non-Olympic sports that deserve recognition, help, and assis- tance, and that has been done. “Netball, for example, isnot just avery important sport in Jamaica, it is a very important sport forwomen, whohave been leftbehind inmanyother aspects.” He is also proud of the SDF’s sus- tainedcontributiontoall levelsof sports and their respectiveorganisations from the grass root to the professional. However, despite this great contri- bution over the 25 years, the funds available to the SDF remain woefully short of what is really needed and are not commensurate with what sports has done for the development of our country and demands substantially more funding if it is to continue with its contribution to nation building. Another factor that should be con- sidered is the fundingof theSDF,which nowcomes fromtheConsolidatedFund of the Government, having journeyed fromtheoriginal25%ofthenetproceeds from the Jamaica Lottery Company to the establishment of theCulture, Health, Art, Sport andEducationFund,with the SDF being allocated 40% of the total cess fromgaming. “Sports used to be run by personal- ities out of the back of their cars, from their personal offices, et cetera, and this contribution from the SDF, even though it is not enough, has allowed them to be consistently employing or assisting people, thus improving the administration of sports,”he said. “Wemust accept that no sport, irre- spective of its popularity, can succeed if it is not administered properly, and the SDF has been able to grant sig- nificant financial contribution to fed- erations for their administration. This has allowed some of them to employ full-time staff for this purpose.” Another area of sports onwhich the SDF has had an impact, Fennell said, is the development of technical officials such as coaches and judges. The con- tributions from the SDF have enabled these federations to assist them, cou- pled with their federations’ involve- ment with their international bodies and theOlympic SolidarityMovement. “The performance of our athletes in all sports couldnever reach theheights that we all applaud without the sup- portingmechanisms in place, such as coaches, physiotherapists, nutritionists, massage therapists, and others, if it werenot for the assistanceprovidedby the SDF,”said Fennell, who concluded that the SDF can boast with pride for what it has done, how it has done it, and the impact that it has had on the sporting community and the country. One fact is clear: Since its inception, the SDF has donated over J$9 billion to communities, schools, and athletes and has seen the growth of Jamaican sports associations from10 to over 50. “Wecannotignoretheverychallenging circumstances causedby theCOVID-19 pan- demic and the high level of uncertainty that exists. Nevertheless, we must continue to acknowledge the value of sports in terms of health and wellness, the economy, education, and socialisa- tion. Internationally, as adopted in a United Nations resolution, sports has been recognised as being one of the main pillars in any recovery and future development. The SDF will, therefore, have a pivotal role in the years ahead,” Fennell said. “No one can deny how the perfor- mances of our athletes, in so many sports, over the many decades, have inspired and motivated every Jamaican, even in our darkest hours.” Throughout the period, political support for the functions of the SDF has been essential and, therefore, we must recognise the support coming from our two political parties. Prime ministers and sports ministers have, throughout this period, put unwaver- ing support behind the foundation. Michael S. Fennell, OJ CDLLD (HON)is an outstandingJamaicanwhohas served in various leadership positions at the local, regional, and international levels. For his contribution to sports in Jamaica,hewas awarded thenational honour ofOrder of Jamaica in 2005. He served as president of the Jamaica Olympic Association from 1977-2017 and has served on the board of the SDF for 20 of its 25 years. His career also includes membership on the International Olympic Committee Programme Commission and the IOC Women in Sports Committee. He also served as chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation (1994-2003) and president (2003-2010), and vice-president of the Pan American Sports Organisation. Mr Fennell also serves as chairman of the Diocesan Finance Boardof theAnglicanDiocese in JamaicaandTheCayman Islands.