Opening of the Boardwalk Sports Park

Minister Rodolphe Samuel and the Department of Sports, within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports invite the public to the grand opening of the Boardwalk sports park which has been developed in collaboration with Port St. Maarten Group, Argos Cement, and the Minister of Finance Mr. Ardwell Irion. This exciting addition to the sports infrastructure will be inaugurated on June 10th, 2023, from 04:00 PM to 6:30 PM and promises to be an opening filled with excitement and fun.

Located on the picturesque boardwalk, attendees will have the opportunity to try out different sports available; from instructions from the experts on how to use the fitness equipment to partaking in a beach volleyball, beach football, or bocce ball clinic, as well as participating in various games organized by Fire Fit Gym, Sint Maarten Bodybuilding and Fitness Association, Monster Factory, Sint Maarten Beach Volleyball Association, Sint Maarten Volleyball Association, Sint Maarten Football Federation and Special Olympics Sint Maarten.

The park features a fitness circuit with 9 different fitness stations including a wheelchair-friendly device, a calisthenics device, two FIVB-approved beach volleyball fields, an official 60ft bocce ball court, and two small-size goals for beach football. In addition, a calisthenics device was also placed in collaboration with Argos Cement at the Belvedere sports park complementary to the existing fitness machines.

With the Department’s “sport for all” vision, the “Sint Maarten Sports Facilities policy was developed and approved in 2021 highlighting the need to integrate sports spaces into spatial planning and to facilitate an active and healthy lifestyle for all citizens through activating opportunities for physical activity in the public space.

Based on the Sports Facilities' policy, an “activating public spaces for physical activity plan” was developed to provide opportunities to maximize the potential of public spaces suitable for physical and recreational activities. Some of the ideas lay focus on outdoor fitness, calisthenics, and beach sports.

In collaboration with Port St. Maarten Group, the boardwalk was identified as a great location as it is currently a highly visited area for physical activity in the public space as it is used for cardio exercise. Permission to install the equipment in the public domain was formally granted by the Minister of VROMI, Mr. Egbert Doran York. The installation of outdoor fitness stations and a calisthenics device provides the community and visitors to the island with more opportunities to engage in physical activity, offering a wide range of exercises in order to do a full-body workout. The equipment is free to use, making access to physical activity more accessible to those who may not have had the opportunity or means to engage in it previously.

All the equipment is user-friendly, functional, anti-vandalism to prevent destructive behavior, all weatherproof, and low in maintenance as stated as a prerequisite in the Sports Facilities Policy. The materials are also easily removable in case of hurricanes or other usages of the area and will be maintained on a weekly basis.

The department looks forward to the community coming out to utilize the equipment, as the activation of public spaces with sporting equipment is a convenient and enjoyable way to engage in physical activity, which in turn will help to improve the overall health and well-being of our citizens.

We thank our partners Port St. Maarten Group, Argos Cement, the Minister of Finance Mr. Ardwell Irion, and the Minister of VROMI Mr. Egbert Doran York, for their contribution to ensuring the development of both parks. We look forward to the community coming out this Saturday at 04:00 PM to celebrate the opening of both parks.