Minister of Education Samuel Explains Program of Requirements of Sport Groups to Participate in International Events

Philipsburg – The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport Rodolphe Samuel, wishes to address the recent article published by "Caribisch Netwerk", which highlights the unfortunate inability of the swimming national team to participate in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan due to a lack of funding. While it is disheartening to hear of any athlete's dreams being hindered, it is important to clarify the circumstances surrounding this matter and address the concerns raised about potential government funds and their accessibility.

At the core of our approach, the Department of Sport has clear funding guidelines, outlined in the Program of Requirements Policy. This framework enables National Federations (the body that governs and administers a sport on a national level) to request the necessary funding according to the requirements on behalf of its national team athletes. This support enables our dedicated athletes to represent St. Maarten in various championships, standing as proud ambassadors of our nation on the global stage.

Notably, the St. Maarten Aquatic Federation effectively utilized this program in both the 2022 FINA World Championships in Australia and the 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, successfully enabling participation of the national team in World Cup Swimming. Regrettably, for the 2023 FINA World Championships, the Aquatic Federation did not initiate the requisite request through the established procedure. As a result, the Department of Sport was regrettably unable to extend its support to the Aquatic Federation and its athletes for this particular instance.

Additionally, the Program of Requirements Policy also allows individual athletes to make requests directly. Nevertheless, we emphasize the importance of having the Federation play a central role in this process as they are responsible for the selection of national team representation.

We remain committed to the growth and success of our athletes and encourage open communication and adherence to established procedures to ensure that opportunities for participation on the global stage are fully realized in the future.

If anyone requires further information regarding the request process and requirements, you are encouraged to visit the Facebook and Government page of the Department of Sport where the “Program of Requirements” for subsidy requests is available.