St Lucia has yet again stepped onto the international stage in hosting and participating in the 2014 NORCECA World Championship Qualification Tournament.”
The opening remark came courtesy of St Lucia Volleyball Association (SLVA) public relations officer, Shane Roachford, at a recent press conference at Palm Haven Hotel, Rodney Bay.
This prestigious competition takes place from April 27-28 at the Beausejour Indoor Facility. In addition to the host country, Haiti, St Kitts-Nevis and El Salvador will also be competing.
During his address, President of the SLVA, Brian Louisy said: “We are extremely pleased that once again we [SLVA] have been given the responsibility of hosting a qualification tournament in the world championship of volleyball. Both of our teams [men and women] are into the second round. We are extremely hopeful and positive of our opportunities to go through to the third round.”
Louisy went on to say: “This is a big tournament for us. We believe we have the calibre of players and talent. We are preparing well and we will continue to make St Lucia proud and move onto the next round. What we need is support, but more importantly we want to showcase the talent. We have great talent. We have players who are outstanding, who have worked their craft for many years and we are seeing that talent coming to the fore and pushing St Lucia forward.”
Director of Youth Development and Sports, Victor Reid, mentioned that he is proud of the SLVA and said “a major milestone for us in St Lucia is the fact we are able to enjoy regional and international volleyball, which is a powerful motivating factor for us in St Lucia. Not just for the players but the sponsors and viewing public. This level of championship in St Lucia is something that will continue to propel the sport forward.”
Reid pointed out that over the years the ministry has observed the progression of the volleyball association and said “you have done a fantastic job in bringing that level of volleyball and awareness of the possibilities of our young persons on the world scene.”
The Director gave his assurance that the volleyball association would receive the support of the ministry towards staging the tournament.
LIME is also supporting international volleyball in St Lucia in a big way. The company is doing their part to ensure the team is cheered on by a vociferous home crowd, by helping with advertising and promotion of the game via radio, television and SMS broadcast.
LIME General Manager, Chris Williams said: “We are very excited to be partnering with the St Lucia Volleyball Association for this tournament. LIME shares the association’s passion for the game and its desire to expand volleyball’s reach throughout St Lucia. The NORCECA World Qualification Tournament hopefully will serve as a platform, to inspire our young and up and coming volleyballers to become the next generation of Olympic stars.”
