Swimming – Page 4

Ashley Kelly selected as Flag Bearer for Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony

August 2, 2016 by Admin

Chef de Mission Stephanie Russ Penn arrived in Brazil ahead of the athletes and delegation for final preparations prior to their arrival for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

The British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee today announced the selection of Ashley Kelly as the flag bearer for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Ashley, who qualified in April this year to compete in her first Olympic Games in the 200m, will lead Team BVI at the Opening Ceremony on August 5.

“It’s an honour to have been selected as the flag bearer and I am incredibly proud to have been given the opportunity to introduce the Virgin Islands and team BVI as we join the opening ceremony parade at the Maracana Stadium this Friday. This is my first Olympic Games and I feely doubly blessed to have qualified for an event I trained so long and hard for and to serve as ambassador for my country.”

Ashley is one of the VI’s four athletes who will be competing in Rio 2016. Tahesia Harrigan-Scott makes history as she competes in her third Olympic Games in the 100m dash, while Eldred Henry debuts in the Shot Put and 16-year old Elinah Phillip takes the title of being the first swimmer to represent the VI in the Olympics when she competes in the 50m Freestyle.

Chef de Mission, Stephanie Russ Penn arrived in Rio, Brazil on July 29 ahead of the VI delegation to tend to administrative tasks and ensure that all preparations are complete for the smooth transition of the athletes and coaches upon their arrival to the Athletes Village and training venues.

“It has been an extremely busy but exciting few days,” said Mrs. Russ Penn. “There have been challenges with accommodation but these should be resolved by the time the athletes arrive in the next couple of days. The organisers of the Games are working hard to bring things together and we have been assigned a very capable assistant, Elaine, to help us throughout our time here. The Olympic Aquatic Stadium seems to be in good order and the Olympic Stadium is ready for action.”

Chef de Mission Stephanie Russ Penn signed the Wall of Truce and exchanged gifts with Rio 2016 at the welcome ceremony held on August 1 for the VI, Afghanistan, Ireland, Rwanda, and Turkmenistan.

Chef de Mission Stephanie Russ Penn signed the Wall of Truce and exchanged gifts with Rio 2016 at the welcome ceremony held on August 1 for the Virgin Islands, Afghanistan, Ireland, Rwanda, and Turkmenistan.

Mrs. Russ Penn attended the flag raising ceremony on August 1 where the Territorial flag was hoisted at the Athletes Village as part of the opening ceremonies to symbolize the representation of all the nations attending the Games. Describing the occasion as pleasing and enjoyable, Mrs Russ Penn signed the Wall of Truce and received the gift to the territory from Rio 2016.

Live coverage of all Olympic events including the events in which the territory’s athletes are competing and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be broadcast on CBN Television Channel 51 and on CBN Radio 90.9FM. Events take place from 8.00am until 2.00pm EST and in the evenings from 7.00pm until 11.00pm EST.

The broadcast contracted to ESPN Caribbean by CANOC Broadcasting Inc (CBI), will focus on Caribbean sports and will include interviews of Caribbean athletes prior to the events. Rey O’Neal will be in the studio for live commentary and analysis of the VI’s athletes during their events.

The VI’s athletes first round of events are scheduled to take place on August 12 with Tahesia Harrigan-Scott in the Women’s 100m Preliminary Round / Round 1. The Women’s 100m semi finals and final will take place on August 13.

Also on August 12, Elinah Phillip will compete in the Women’s 50m Freestyle Heats with the semi finals taking place later that day. The final for the 50m Freestyle takes place on August 13.

On August 15 Ashley Kelly will compete in Round 1 of the 200M. The semi finals will take place on August 16 and the final on August 17.

On August 18, Eldred Henry will be throwing the Shot Put.

Updates on the VI’s athletes at Rio 2016 will be posted on the BVIOC accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and can be found on these platforms under BVI Olympic Committee. Fans are encouraged to use the handle #GoTeamBVI in their social media posts to show their support.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Rio News, Swimming Tagged With: Ashley Kelly, BVI Flag Bearer, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games

Live broadcast of VI’s four athletes competing in Rio 2016 Olympics

July 20, 2016 by Admin

Rio 2016 #TeamBVI – Live action on CBN Channel 51

Four athletes will represent the Virgin Islands at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games which take place in Brazil from August 5 – 21. The BVI Olympic Committee confirmed that the VI’s qualified track runners, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott (100m) and Ashley Kelly (200m) will be joined by young swimmer, Elinah Phillip (50m Freestyle) and field athlete, Eldred Henry (Shot Put) competing through the universality invitation.

CANOC Broadcasting Inc (CBI) acquired the broadcast rights for the Rio 2016 Olympics and the local scheduling of live broadcasts of events in which Caribbean national athletes will compete. Events take place from 8.00am until 2.00pm and in the evenings from 7.00pm until 11.00pm.

The broadcast on ESPN Caribbean will cover all Olympic events including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies but will focus on Caribbean sports as well as interviews of Caribbean athletes prior to the events. The live coverage can be seen on CBN Television Channel 51 and listened to on the radio by tuning into CBN Radio 90.9FM.

Furthermore, the BVI Olympic Committee has invested in a decoder to be used by CBN to ensure that fans in the VI can follow the live broadcast of all the events in which the VI’s athletes will be competing.

The first rounds for these events are scheduled to take place on August 12 with Tahesia Harrigan-Scott in the Women’s 100m Preliminary Round / Round 1. The Women’s 100m semi finals and final will take place on August 13. Also on August 12, Elinah Phillip will compete in the Women’s 50m Freestyle Heats with the semi finals taking place later that day. The final for the 50m Freestyle takes place on August 13.

On August 15 Ashley Kelly will compete in Round 1 of the 200M. The semi finals will take place on August 16 and the final on August 17. On August 18, Eldred Henry will be throwing the Shot Put.

Mr. Rey O’Neal will be in the studio during the competitions with commentary and analysis of athlete performances.

“This will be the first time that we will have live broadcasting of our athletes in competition at the Olympic Games,” said Ephraim Penn, President of the BVIOC. “We invested in the decoder because we really want viewers and supporters to be able to watch the action for which our athletes have trained so hard. The Olympic Games are the pinnacle and goal of every athlete and it is no mean feat to have gained a spot in this global event. There are flexible, affordable advertising opportunities during the Olympic Games broadcasts on CBN Channel 51 and any interested persons should contact the BVIOC on (284) 494 6920 or by email at cmfarrington@bviolympics.org.”

CBN will also be broadcasting the semi finals and finals for the VI’s other national federation sports of Archery, Basketball, Cycling, Football, Rugby, Tennis, Taekwondo, and Volleyball. FLOW customers will also be able to watch alternative live feeds through the FLOW ID app.

Updates on the VI’s athletes at Rio 2016 will be posted on the BVIOC accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and can be found on these platforms under BVI Olympic Committee.

Chef de Mission for Rio 2016, Stephanie Russ Penn will be traveling to Rio one week in advance of the August 5 Opening Ceremony to prepare for the arrival of the athletes.

In addition to Mrs. Russ Penn, the official delegation to Rio 2016 includes Winston Potter, Athletics Coach, Omar Jones, Athletics Coach, Benoit Grattepanche, Swimming Coach, Tracy Bradshaw, Swimming Chaperone, Matthew McGrath, Physiotherapist, Dr. Harlan Vanterpool, Doctor, Mark Chapman, Olympic Attache, Ephraim Penn, President, BVIOC and Lloyd Black, Secretary General.

Filed Under: Athletics, Buy Tickets for Rio 2016, BVI Olympic Committee, Rio News, Swimming Tagged With: #teambvi, Ashley Kelly, Eldred Henry, Elinah Phillip, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott

Olympic Day celebrated with National Federations and a focus on Rio 2016

June 29, 2016 by Admin

Runners on BVI Olympic Day 2016. Photo: BVIOC

Adults and children kicked off Olympic Day in the VI with an early morning run in Virgin Gorda on Saturday, June 25. In Tortola, a mix of all ages came out in the afternoon to celebrate the occasion at the Tortola Sports Club by watching demonstrations in rugby, archery, taekwondo, squash and having a go at each of the sports in advance of the symbolic 2-mile run through Road Town.

Representatives for the national federations for Rugby, Archery, Taekwondo and Squash also shared information on the sports and encouraged attendees to sign up and get moving with a new activity.

Rio 2016 sailing hopeful, Chris Brockbank joined the Royal BVI Yacht Club to speak about the efforts he and his teammate, Alec Anderson had undertaken in their quest to qualify for this Summer Olympic Games. Whilst they did not meet the Rio 2016 qualification, Chris reiterated their commitment to pursuing qualification for Tokyo 2020. Club manager Tamsin Rand also spoke about the youth sailing programme.

The VI Swimming Federation represented by the president and members of the youth swimming team were also in attendance.

Ephraim Penn, president of the BVIOC gave a brief history of the BVI Olympic Committee and presented one of the founding members, Reynold ‘Rey’ O’Neal, OBE with a commemorative photo book of the tribute evening hosted for him by the BVIOC earlier in the year.

In keeping with the goal of Olympic Day to get the young involved and engaged in sports, Penn also spoke about the Long Term Athletes Development programme hosted by the BVIOC. The series of LTAD workshops will equip coaches with the resources to identify and develop promising youth athletes with a view to training them for major games such as the Olympics.

Chef de Mission for Rio 2016, Stephanie Russ-Penn followed with an update on the preparations for Rio 2016 confirming that the VI’s qualified track runners, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott (100m) and Ashley Kelly (200m) will be joined by young swimmer, Elinah Phillip (50m Freestyle) who will compete as part of the universality invitation.

Russ-Penn then went on to reveal the outerwear for the Team BVi athletes participating in major games highlighting the integration of the Vigilante in the design.

Rounding off with information on attending the summer Games, Mark Chapman, Treasurer, BVIOC said, “Rio 2016 promises to be an exciting occasion and it’s not too late to get event tickets and support Team BVI in Brazil. The BVIOC has tickets for residents and anyone else who has a connection to the territory. Recent research also shows airfare via Panama is available starting at $1006 so anyone interested in getting tickets can complete an online request on bviolympics.org or contact the BVIOC office on 494 6920. The summer Games take place August 5 – 21.”

The afternoon set up at the sports club included tips and massages by La Ambiance Spa and an information booth run by the VI branch of the Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO).

The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, and Red Cross volunteers were on hand to ensure the safety of the runners and walkers. Roadtown Wholesale distributed Dasani water and Powerade to participants along the route and at the sports club.

Olympic Day was established in 1948 as an annual occasion where everyone everywhere can get together in their communities to celebrate the Olympic values of Respect, Excellence and Friendship and also celebrate the Olympic Day pillars: Move. Learn. Discover.

In his Olympic Day message to people around the world, IOC President, Thomas Bach said, “Olympic Day is for everyone, regardless of age or athletic ability. The important thing is to get the couch potatoes off the couch. Although Olympic Day commemorates an historic event, its goals are aimed at the future and particularly at young people. Olympic Day is an opportunity to remind people that sport is not just for watching. We want to inspire all people to get active and to have fun. Thank you for doing your part by getting off the couch. Please encourage others to do the same — not just on Olympic Day, but as part of a healthier and happier life. Enjoy the day, and please keep the spirit of Olympic Day alive throughout the year.”

Filed Under: Buy Tickets for Rio 2016, BVI Olympic Committee, Rio News, Rugby, Sailing, Squash, Swimming, Taekwondo Tagged With: #olympicday, BVI Olympic Committee, BVI Olympic Day, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 tickets

BVI Swimmers Grab 24 Medals At St. Croix Races

May 31, 2016 by Admin

Photo provided

By BVI Platinum

The five-member BVI swimming team made the Territory proud with an impressive medal haul of twenty four medals at the 34th Dolphin Invitational Swimming Championships over the weekend in St. Croix.

The team, consisting of Five Makos/BVI Swim Federation swimmers, won 9 Gold, 12 Silver and 3 Bronze medals.

Top swimmer for team BVI was eight year-old Khadija Sampson, who won six gold medals in all of her individual events, and won the high point award for her age group with a perfect score of 120 points. She was also member of 12 and under relay teams that won of the gold and silver for team BVI.

Competing for team BVI were Keyon Sampson, Khadija, Kassia Nichols, Kurt Salapare and Arrianna Angus.

Coach Elsworth Phillip said he was happy with the way the swimmers performed at the two-day event, held annually in St. Croix.
He said this was the first time that the swimmers competed in a long course pool (50 meters) and they had great swims and established many personal best in their individual and relay events.

“I would like to thank the management of Prospect Reef for allowing our team to have a place to train; all that these kids achieve wouldn’t be possible without them providing a place for the kids to train,” Phillip said.

Four islands were represented at the meet – St. Croix Dolphins, St. Eustatius Super Splash Swim Team, St. Maarten Stingrays and the British Virgin Islands Makos Swim Club.

Other notable swimmers were Keon Sampson who won 2nd place high point honors in the 13 to 14 boys age group.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: BVI Swim Federation

46 complete swim coaching course by former British Olympian Brian Brinkley MBE

April 11, 2016 by Admin

By VINO

Some of the BVI's newly qualified swim coaches. Photo: VINO

Some of the BVI’s newly qualified swim coaches trained by Brian Brinkley, MBE 1976 Olympic medallist. Photo: VINO

Some 46 swim instructors in the territory received their certificates for completing a rigorous UK certified programme hosted by the BVI Swimming Foundation of John and Sonya Williams.

The presentation ceremony took place at the Tortola Sports Club on Thursday April 7, 2016.

“We created the BVI Swimming Foundation and we recruited Brian Brinkley MBE who is an Olympic bronze medallist in 1976, captain of team Great Britain,” said John Williams.
Speaking of the programme, John Williams said they had recruited two time British Olympian Brian Brinkley.

Williams said the former Olympian recruited and trained 46 people, some of whom were not even swimmers and in one year he trained and recruited level one and level two ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) swimming teachers and on Thursday evening they were presented with certificates.

The swim coaches took varying lengths of time to complete the course based on the level that they did and the intensity at which they did it.

“Brian is the most fantastic teacher of swimming…he is superb. Right now we are hoping to get him to come back,” Williams said.
He added that the 46 persons are now qualified to teach swimming in the school system and expressed the hope that First LadyLorna G. Smith and Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn will help to make this possible.

Speaking at the event First Lady Mrs Smith offered her congratulations to the successful swim teachers. “I would like to say a very warm thank you to Sonya and John for this massive contribution that they have made to the BVI in swimming. They have spent over $200,000 of their own money for this programme and we are very grateful to you Sonya and John for your generosity,” she said.

Mrs Smith fondly remembers being taught to swim by John Williams many moons ago. “He also taught people like the late J.S. Archibald, QC and Jennie Todman-Smith and a host of other people to swim and we are grateful that John has carried on this tradition,” she said.

Mrs Smith spoke of it being an honour for her to be invited to be a patron of the programme and expressed her gratitude on behalf of Premier Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith who was unable to be present at the event.

John Williams said that with the certification achieved, swim coaches can now teach the sport in the UK and charge the rate of 15 Pounds Sterling per student per hour.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: Brian Brinkley, BVI Swimming Foundation

BVI swimmers shine at USVI contest

November 20, 2015 by bvioc

By BVInews.com

(L-R) BVI swimmers, Jaden Marshall, Kurt Salapare, Khadija Sampson, Kassia Haymer, Giselle Archibald, Arianna Angus at the 2015 US Virgin Islands (USVI) Short Course Championship held on November 14 in St Thomas. Photo: Provided

Young swimmers from the British Virgin Islands continue to impress on the world stage, with two youngsters recently copping ‘Second Place High Point Honours’ in different categories at the US Virgin Islands (USVI) Short Course Championship held in St Thomas on November 14.

The two top performers for team BVI were Kurt Salapare and Khadija Sampson.

They were among a contingent of six team members; the others being Jaden Marshall, Kassia Haymer, Arianna Angus, and Giselle Archibald Bowers.

Elsworth Phillip, coach of the team, expressed satisfaction with the general performance of the six swimmers at the event held on November 14 and 15.

“Our swimmers are showing growth and maturity every time they get the opportunity to compete at meets like this,” Phillip said.

He added that he is expecting greater things from the swimmers in the VI Long Course Championship scheduled for May 2016 in St Croix, USVI.

Filed Under: Swimming

Young BVI Swimmers to compete in EU Swim Series in Orlando

September 22, 2015 by bvioc

Photo courtesy of BVI Swim Federation

Six young BVI swimmers are to participate in the 10th Annual EU Swim Series in Orlando, Florida scheduled for 19th and 20th at the YMCA Aquatic Center. Hosted by the YMCA of Central Florida, the championship will see swimmers from nine countries participating in the first EU Swim in the Western Hemisphere. Previous EU Swims have been held in France, Brussels, Finland and other European countries. This will be the first time the BVI is participating.

The BVI team will be composed of Kassia Nichols, 12, (Elmore Stoutt High School), Kurt Salapare, 11, (St Georges Primary), Arianna Angus, 10, (St. Georges Primary), Kayla Roberts , 13, (Elmore Stoutt High School), Khadija Sampson 8, (Althea Scatliffe Primary School), and Tia Roberts, 7, (Althea Scatliffe Primary School).

“This championship is open to swimmers of all ages and levels so it will give our kids the opportunity to be exposed to world class age group competition while serving as an excellent prep meet for the OECS Swimming Championship in November,” said Coach and President of the BVI Swimming Federation, Elsworth Phillip, who is accompanying the team. “The slogan of this meet is Swimmers Without Borders which exemplifies the spirit of our swimmers who have been engaging in competitions around the region and the world.”

The EU Swim competition has been held in a different European city and country each year since its start in 2006 and, annually, has attracted between 200-600 swimmers from up to 12 countries. Though begun in Europe, the EU Swim is truly international and inclusive.

The YMCA Aquatic Center where the meet will be held boasts a long history of excellence with a record board that includes swimming greats Matt Biondi, Janet Evans, Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps. The competition itself will be held in the 8-lane, 25 meter by 25 yard pool.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: BVI Swim Federation

Track and Field athletes up next for Pan Am Games

July 20, 2015 by bvioc

Track and field athletes/coaches as they arrived at the Toronto 2015 village were met by
Swimmer, Elinah Phillip and coach Tracy Bradshaw.
Pictured L-R – Tracy Bradshaw, Winston Potter, Chantel Malone, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott, Elinah Phillip, Eldred Henry, Xavier Dag Samuels, Anthony Dougherty, and Karene King. Photo: Provided

BVI’s track and field athletes arrived in Canada last Wednesday, July 15 to prepare for the start of their competitions at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

On Tuesday, July 21 Tahesia Harrigan-Scott will be running in the 100m and Eldred Henry will be throwing for the territory in the Shot Put Finals. On Thursday, July 23 Karene King will take on the 200m and Chantel Malone will be competing in the Long Jump while Eldred Henry will compete in the Discus Finals.

Toronto 2015 kicked off on Friday, July 10 with the Opening Ceremony in which squash player, Joe Chapman led the VI delegation as the flag bearer. The following day, Joe marked the start of the territory’s participation in the Pan Am Games with his match in the Men’s Squash Singles against Alonso Escudero of Peru. The game was tough and Joe succumbed to Escudero in 3 sets, 11-7, 11-7, 11-2.

Next up was swimmer, Elinah Phillip who took part in the 100m Freestyle on July 14. She swam a time of 1:00.72 and finished 24th in the event but was unable to advance to finals. Elinah followed this performance with a race in her favoured event, the 50m Freestyle. While Elinah swam a season’s best of 27.37s and finished 21st overall in the event, her score was insufficient to advance her to the finals. Soaking up this experience, Elinah prepares for the World Championship in Russia in a few weeks.

These competitions serve as qualifiers for RIO 2016 Olympic Games.

Click here for the complete schedule of competitions and results.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Squash, Swimming, Toronto News Tagged With: BVIOC, Chantel Malone, Eldred Henry, Elinah Phillip, Joe Chapman, Karene King, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott, Team BVI, Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, Tortonto 2015

BVI’s athletes to compete at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games

July 8, 2015 by bvioc

The British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee has announced the team to participate in the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada from July 10-26.

Six (6) athletes and four (4) officials are now confirmed to attend the games.

BVI will compete in three sporting disciplines including athletics, squash and swimming.

The Toronto 2015 competitors from track and field include sprinter, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott in the 100m, Karene King in the 200m, Chantel Malone in the Long Jump and Eldred Henry who competes in both the Discus and the Shot Put. The team coaches are Winston Potter and Anthony Dougherty.

Elinah Phillip will be representing the BVI in swimming with the 50m and 100m Freestyle as her chosen events and Tracy Bradshaw as her coach.

Joe Chapman starts the ball rolling for the BVI team in the Squash Men’s Singles on July 11, with Adam Murrills as his coach.

In charge of the delegation is Chef de Mission for Toronto 2015, Mr. Xavier Dag Samuels.

Ephraim Penn, President of the British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee stated: “I am pleased we have been able to get six athletes qualified to represent us in Toronto 2015. This is double the number from Guadalajara four years ago in 2011 and it is great to have more than one sport represented. I am hopeful of solid performances from the athletes, especially in track and field and hope we can build on the excellent results we had last year at the Commonwealth and CAC Games”.

BVI’s Welcome Ceremony at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games is scheduled at the Athletes Village on July 9th, 2015 at 7 p.m., with the Opening Ceremony due to commence on July 10th, 2015 at 8 p.m.

It is expected that live coverage will be shown on television on the ESPN-Caribbean channel, so fans at home can follow the BVI athletes in action.

Click to view the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games competition schedule.

For more information, please visit www.toronto2015.org.

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Squash, Swimming, Toronto News Tagged With: Pan Am Games, Panamania, Team BVI, Tortonto 2015

Makos Swim Teams shine in St Thomas

April 24, 2015 by bvioc

By BVI Swim Federation

Makos Teams took part in the St Thomas Swimming Association Spring Swim Meet on April 18, 2015. Photo: Provided

Eleven Makos swim team members attended the St. Thomas Swimming Association (STSA) Spring Swim Meet which was held at the Aquatics Center on Saturday 18th April, 2015.

The Makos swimmers, four males and seven females ranging in age from 7-15, competed in four events, against teams from St. Thomas and St. John. No medals were given out at the meet but many of the Makos swimmers placed in the top three of their individual heats.

“Our swimmers have shown great commitment to their training and this was evident in their exceptional performances on Saturday,” said Coach Elsworth Phillip, pointing out that many of the Makos swimmers not only did well in their events but also set personal best times. “Some of our new swimmers showed spirit by challenging themselves in some strokes and were still able to place in the top 3. Overall this was a very successful and most importantly fun and developmental meet for team Makos.”

The Coach thanked the STSA for organizing the meet and for the invitation extended to Makos.

“ The BVI team did exceptionally well against the other competitors, proving that their hard work is paying off although the intent was a fun meet,” said parent Shauna Roberts.

Makos Swim club team members at the St Thomas Swimming Association Spring Swim Meet 2015. Photo: Provided

Swimmers who competed were Makeeda Christopher, Diimori Maduro, Kayla Roberts, Tia Roberts, Arianna Angus, Jada Angus, Giselle Archibald-Bowers, Kassia Haymer, Kurt Godwin Salapare, Alexander Chinnery, and Raheem Johnson.

Makos will now gear up to compete at the upcoming May and June swim meets in St. Croix.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: BVI Swim Federation, Makos Swim Team, Spring Swim Meet, St Thomas Swimming Association