Interview: Barbadian sports minister expects more China-Barbados cooperation

BRIDGETOWN, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Charles Griffith, Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment of Barbados said he is looking forward to more cooperation between China and Barbados.

The official told Xinhua in a recent interview that the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, which was built and renovated with the aid of China, was a big achievement since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1977, adding that it is the largest and primary sports complex in the country.

He noted that since 1977, "we have had a lot of benefits as a result of the relationship. The gymnasium is used for sports, but we are now able to use it for cultural events, so it is a multi-purpose facility."

"We have also had [Chinese] table tennis and swimming coaches come to the island to help us progress in those two disciplines," he said.

China sent its first table tennis coach, Yang Ying, now 91, to the island to train Barbados' national team in 1979.

The aid started with Coach Yang continued to thrive even after 40 years when Wu Cong, the second Chinese table tennis coach, arrived in Barbados. His arrival helped the national team win third place in the Caribbean table tennis championships.

"What we're trying to do is to ensure that that table tennis is played in every single school and community," the minister stressed.

"And I know that is one of the areas where China is very, very strong," he said, hoping the Chinese coach can not only train athletes, but also teach their coaches in the future.

Asked about the future of sports exchanges, the minister replied, "I'm looking forward to a lot of good things. I know we have recently been offered some scholarships in Tai Chi and badminton. We're looking to see where we have other areas where we can collaborate and benefit from the expertise coming out of China."

Griffith visited China in 2019 and said he was very impressed with what he saw. "One of the things that we're hoping is that we can have some of our coaches go over to China to hone their skills in disciplines that China excels in."

This can lead to exchanges that will benefit both countries, he said. "We are about to launch the international road tennis federation, and I'm hoping that we can send some coaches over to explore the possibility of China embracing road tennis."