The Barbados Olympic Association Inc. (BOA) has launched a new strategic plan to guide its work and development throughout the 2025–2028 Olympic quadrennium, which concludes at the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games.
The plan was officially unveiled by newly re-elected BOA President Sandra Osborne, SC, during the association’s 2025 Annual General Assembly, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Addressing representatives of the national federations, Osborne outlined a vision for the future of Barbadian sport, anchored in five strategic pillars: excellence, education, innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability.
The strategic plan is the outcome of a comprehensive review process, supported by research conducted by CADRES and funded by Olympic Solidarity. A notable evolution in this iteration is the consolidation of the BOA’s previous five strategic pillars into four focused priorities:
Pillar 1 – Driving Excellence: Focused on increasing medals and finalists, supporting athlete development, and expanding access to Olympic scholarships.
Pillar 2 – Transforming Lives: Aims to boost sports participation, support athlete career transitions, and promote gender equality.
Pillar 3 – Building Capacity: Seeks to help national federations develop athletes, skilled administrators, and coaches; improve governance; and ensure sustainability.
Pillar 4 – Shaping Our Future: Focuses on increasing the BOA’s visibility, securing sponsorships and funding opportunities, and maintaining good governance and ethics.
President Osborne reaffirmed the BOA’s commitment to athlete support under Pillar 1, highlighting the Elite Athlete Programme, which currently includes eight top performers: Rasheeme Griffith, Jonathan Jones, and Sada Williams (Athletics), Amber Joseph (Cycling), Meagan Best (Squash), Chelsea Tuach (Surfing), Heidi Stoute (Swimming), and Matthew Wright (Triathlon). All except Joseph and Tuach are also recipients of Olympic Solidarity Scholarships for the 2025–2028 cycle.
BOA Treasurer Orson Simpson also delivered a positive financial update, reporting a modest decrease in revenue of three per cent alongside a significant 32 per cent drop in total expenses. He confirmed that 66 per cent of the BOA’s 2024 revenue was directly allocated to athletes and national federations, in keeping with the association’s mandate.
In addition to Osborne’s re-election, four other executive positions were returned unopposed: Assistant Secretary General Shelley-Ann Griffith and Directors Mona Alleyne, Dr Adrian Lorde, and Dr Sasha Sutherland.
President Osborne expressed gratitude for the renewed confidence in her leadership and announced that this term will be her last.
The re-elected board members will each serve a three-year term.
Board of Directors
Sandra Osborne, SCM, SC, president
Sir Austin Sealy, KT, SCM, honorary IOC member
Steve Stoute, GCM, immediate past president
Cameron Burke, vice president
Erskine Simmons, BSM, secretary general
Shelley-Ann Griffith, assistant secretary general
Orson Simpson, treasurer
Mona Alleyne, director
Dr Adrian Lorde, OBE, director
Dr Sasha Sutherland, director
Ambassador Obadele Thompson BSS, director
Trevor Welch, director
Kevyn Murrell, athletes’ commission representative.
The post BOA unveils 2025-2028 strategic plan focused on excellence and growth appeared first on Barbados Today.
