To date, the decision-making process for recognising athletes have been fraught with high emotions and the opportunity to score cheap political points rather than a clearly defined standardised policy with an unmistakably objective criterion for rewarding and recognising athletes' achievement.
The establishment of a Sport Achievement Rewards and Recognition (SARR) policy will complement the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the SPORTT Company's current process of reviewing athlete funding and support policies to allow for greater accountability, transparency and governance.
In developing a policy, it is important to determine what achievements are to be recognised and how they are to be rewarded. As with any policy, the definitions of the key stakeholders and events and conditions have to be clearly established which will then inform the decision-making process.
For instance, concepts such as achievement, champion, world record, athlete, coach, trainer, etc must be clearly defined. Also, it must be stated if there are subsets to these definitions.
At the present juncture, for instance, what differentiates a world record for the highest individual test score and the world record for the heaviest blue marlin catch?
In the absence of a robust policy, the determination of whether both accomplishments are on par or not will basically depend on subjective views such as: I am a cricket fan and cricket is more important or vice versa. Moving the goal post according to the game is not a logical and rational approach, especially if the State is the main benefactor.
The same can apply to individual athletes or teams which are successful at regional events as opposed to international events. Is being a champion at the regional level equate to being a champion internationally? It may be common sense that they do not equate but it will make more practical sense to have it stated in a policy for present and future athletes and officials to observe.
Additionally, the reward system has to be determined and the conditions.
What will constitute rewards? Cash, housing, land, government bonds, employment, sporting scholarships, sporting ambassadorship etc.
Who shall be the benefactor? The State or state boards?
Can both give? Is there duplication of resources if both give? Is there a benchmark value as to how much can be provided?
Once these have been defined, then it must be determined how these are to be allocated to the various defined achievements and under what conditions.
So, for instance, a gold medal at the Olympics must be given a fixed value. This value can then comprise one or a combination of the stated means of reward. For example, it can be solely cash and or a combination of cash and some other means providing it does not exceed the established value of a gold medal. This approach can also allow the athlete to have a say as to what they want within the context of a fixed pre-determined award.
The same approach should apply for other events such as the World Championship, Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games, World Cups, etc. Therefore, the Soca Warriors must know what qualifying for the FIFA 2081 World Cup in Russia will equate too in advance.
In addition to athletes, the policy should also state whether or not coaches, trainers and various support staff will also be recognised and rewarded and under what conditions. It must also state how this will take place.
Had a recognition policy been in place, Anisa Mohammed, Stacy Ann King, Britney Cooper and Merissa Aguilera and members of the victorious West Indies women T20 World Cup winning team would have known in advance–had they been triumphant–how they would have been recognised. To date, it's a wait-and-see approach for any public announcements.
It could be assumed that the current economic condition may not result in any extravagant reward system. However, if this is the case then it will have to hold same for all other sporting achievements including those that may result at the Olympics and any other event.
In the absent a policy, although it may not be politically wise, a public statement should be made that athletes should not expect gifts of grandeur given the current economic climate.
The proposed SARR policy predicates on the popular view among athletes, government and the population that athletes must be rewarded for their achievements. The SARR policy will ensure that athletes are not left wondering if or how they will be recognised and rewarded as well as allow for greater transparency and accountability.