?Proper administration of sport is the ultimate goal of the new Executive Sport Management Programme which was launched by the University of the West Indies (UWI) on Friday at the office of the campus principal Prof Clement Sankat, pro vice chancellor, at UWI in St Augustine. UWI, in collaboration with Fifa and the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), introduced the postgraduate diploma in Sport Management with the option of pursuing a UWI Master of Science degree in the same subject area. The latter is being offered to students who have surpassed the formation for the diploma. It is the first of this kind in the region to be offered at tertiary level and all present expressed their excitement in what is expected to bring T&T, if not the region, on par with the rest of the sporting world.
The idea of the programme was manifested long before the signing of a memorandum of agreement in 2008, to undertake co-operative programmes in the areas of research, training, education and facilities development in sport within the region. "This project or as I describe it, this adventure started seven years ago in Argentina," said Vincent Monnier, head of CIES International Relations. "We have made the theories and concepts applicable to the real world and we will not stop there. We will be constantly trying to improve the quality of the programme." Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, who was also present when Fifa president Sepp Blatter and and UWI vice cchancellor, Prof E Nigel Harris signed the memorandum, shared that there is a need to raise the standard of excellence in sport regionally. "Today, this is the sum total of the discussions to enhance the credibility of and educational level of sport administrators in the region.
"I am excited about the possibilities which this programme will open as it will produce effective leaders in sport management which would ultimately aid in the economic growth," said Warner. The programme was designed to cater for the needs of sporting governance here and around the region. It will equip students with the knowledge and skills to execute proper sports management imperatives. "For many years, the sport sector in the Caribbean has experienced professional management challenges which in turn have served to limit its overall contribution to development within the region," said Prof Sankat. "This programme was tailored and adapted to respond to the needs of this region's sport administration, recognising our unique culture and environment."
Marketing, finance, law and events management will be covered by the diploma, benifitting those who operate in managerial, administrative and leadership capacity in sports organistaions. With the inclusion of the Fifa/CIES postgraduate programmes, UWI has now become part of the international network as it is being conducted by CIES at universities around the world including Italy, Switzerland, England, South Africa, Costa Rica, Argentina, Egypt, Senegal, Palestine, Chile, Turkey and Ukraine. Also speaking at the launch were Margaret Richardson, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education; Dr David Rampersad, director of Business Development Office at UWI, who chaired the event; director of Sport and Physical Education, Dr Iva Gloudon and student Brian David. David expressed that he and his colleagues were happy to be associated with "propelling sport management to where it needs to be in T&T."