Use sports tourism to develop local teams

THE CARIBBEAN, though a small region, has produced numerous outstanding athletes, particularly in track and field. At the end of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the region attained a total medal count of 391 (129 gold, 124 silver and 138 bronze).

Cuba secured the most wins (233), followed by Jamaica (88). In the Paralympics, the region now has a total of 166 medals (69 gold, 41 silver and 56 bronze), Cuba and Jamaica once more being the leaders.

A close inspection of our successes at the elite level will show that this is mainly in individual sports. Team sport reveals a different story. Cricket is probably where we have had the greatest success, with a total of three final appearances in the World Cup, including two wins.

In netball, which has existed since 1963, Trinidad has one win, a runner-up placing and a third place at the World Cup. Jamaica has secured three third place finishes and no other Caribbean island has made it to the top three.

Football is the most popular team sport across the region, yet we have only seen Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba secure a single World Cup qualification each in senior men’s competition.

The Jamaica rugby sevens team made history this year for being the first senior men’s team in our region to qualify for two World Cup events.

Cricket is the only team sport where we compete as a region and not as individual countries and one may want to explore this further to see how this model contributes to success. But that is not my focus today.

ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT

An essential ingredient in elite athlete development is exposure to continuous competition. In the larger Caribbean islands, there is organised competition at primary school, high school, collegiate and club levels for the traditional sports. In Jamaica, sprinting success is often attributed to the existence of the Boys’ and Girls’ high school championships.

For the non-traditional team sports, competition may consist of a few clubs. The composition of the national teams for many of these non-traditional sports is athletes of Caribbean heritage who grew up, train, and compete in the developed world.

In the smaller Caribbean islands, exposure to competition is even less. Regional tournaments are limited, with the cost to host being a barrier, along with the cost for teams to travel. Many coaches and sports administrators lament the fact that more exposure through competition is required.

When competing in a small pool, athletes will rapidly learn the strengths and weaknesses of their competitors and they will peak and rapidly plateau in the local context. For those who make it to star status in their colleges, they may sit comfortably as “king of their domain” until they are exposed to competition outside the country and the reality that they have a long way to go sets in.

FRAMEWORK

So, instead of trying to take teams out of the country, why not develop a framework that brings the competition to the country on a routine basis? Marry sport and tourism.

The more common view of sports tourism is centred around large-scale tournaments drawing spectators to the region. However, something as simple as collegiate teams and sports clubs visiting for friendly competition and training with local teams is also an excellent model for sport tourism.

Sport organisations should be working with the tourist boards and hotels to create packages that targets this potential market.

At the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, we have received and accommodated collegiate requests for winter training camps for swimming, summer sprint camps and most recently a collegiate rugby tour. The Rattlesnakes, an all-collegiate rugby team from Texas, in June 2022, completed a short sport tourism stint in Jamaica. This was coordinated by the Jamaica Rugby Football Union and consisted of three matches against a Jamaican developmental squad, with teams visiting tourist sites in their down time.

FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE

Coaches, athletes, and referees could interact, share, and compare experiences in friendly atmosphere. Family members who accompanied the team also enjoyed the beach and other tourist attractions but for some, their best experience was attending the matches and interacting with the local community.

For a rugby team from one of the Caribbean islands to visit Texas for friendly competition, we would have to begin with securing visas for 25 to 28 persons, followed by securing money to cover airfare, accommodation, meals and ground transportation.

Compare this to the cost of renting a playing field (if the sport does not have a proper home ground), supplying two teams with hydration fluids and onsite medical coverage. Additionally, the exposure can now be for 50 instead of 25, depending on the number of matches organised and if we charge an entrance fee, we earn revenues. Why are we not focused therefore on attracting visiting teams every month.

Next time we complain about lack of exposure, take a pause and apply a broader brush to the concept of exposure.

Sport Pulse and Sport Matters are fortnightly columns highlighting advances that impact Sport. We look forward to your continued readership. Dr. Roopchand Martin is the Head of the Mona Academy of Sport and can be reached at sharmella.roopchandmartin@uwimona.edu.jm