The Barbados Wrestling Association (BWA) is targeting community outreach events to attract interest and PanAm Games qualification in 2025.
Those were the words of the president of the association Rollins Alleyne as he spoke with
NATION Sport on the state of beach wrestling here in Barbados this year and going forward to 2025.
Beach Wrestling is steadily growing here in Barbados and the wider region, and Alleyne states the association’s desire is to increase the number of sponsors and athletes next year by partaking in more community events and festivals where they can make themselves visible to the Barbadian public.
After a successful 2024, with athletes performing well overseas and here in Barbados and after their final event in November which was the Wrestling Open, Alleyne is looking for more of the same.
“We want some of wrestlers to qualify for the
Junior PanAm Games in addition to having some more development of the competition for the Barbados open. While we find it’s growing, we lack financial support,” Alleyne said.
“Beach wrestling is a very important part of our sporting calendar and it’s becoming one of the leading beach sports in Barbados, but it needs support, apart from the BOA (Barbados Olympic Association). We find it very difficult to get other people on board with it, it’s growing, but if we don’t get that support we may have to forgo the Barbados open so we need some support.”
Exposure
Alleyne went on to expand further on the importance of the Wrestling Open.
“It’s something that locals benefit from it, in the sense that there’s no other competition in Barbados for development. So, that’s something that local wrestlers are looking forward to
as they are getting exposed to other people that come in to compete against them” For 2025, he emphasises the need to continue with their development. “The athletes need the training so we want to have training camps, they need a lot of exposure for development. While I understand their need to go into games and such, in order to be competitive in those games, our local athletes and coaches need camps and tournaments to improve.
“To do this the BWA has set up more ways for current and new wrestlers to grow as the look to expand their competition disciplines. We currently have beaches, we also do mat and the next thing will be grappling they will be the three main ones. From there, we’re going to amateur MMA because now that has become a part of the wrestling governing body.”
He continued, “The Barbados Wrestling Association is also a member of global mixed martial arts, so it will be an all-inclusive set of disciplines this year and this will start hopefully soon. We call it light MMA development at the Frederick Smith School in St James.”
Leading up to the major open this year the plan is to get outside. “We will have some around the island, community events whether it is on the beach or inland and the plan is to target events like Holetown Festival and Crop Over with Bridgetown Market to get eyes on us.”
(Stefan Walker)
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