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Barbados
Barbados
The National Olympic Academy of Barbados collaborated with the Women in Sport Commission for a number of impactful programmes. 104 girls, between the ages of twelve and eighteen years, participated in a Play Like a Girl workshop. The aim of the all-day, interactive event was to facilitate visioning for the future, on and off the field of play, and celebrate the accomplishments of the students, both in sport and in their everyday lives. The issue of Child Safeguarding in Sport received attention through a number of workshops organized with UNICEF support. Sensitization sessions were completed with 115 student athletes between the ages of twelve and sixteen years, community leaders and 27 grassroot coaches. Seminars were also organized in cooperation with the Athletes Commission and 45 athletes attended one anti-doping workshop while 51 took part in another dealing with Mental Resiliency, with discussion included on coping in the current challenging environment. The President of the Committee, Anicia Wood, presented at a session with administrators on the topic, Supporting Athletes. The Olympic Museum created a virtual reality tour and visitors to the museum are now provided with tablets to use as they explore the facility. This allows them to interact with, and receive information about the artefacts, bringing the exhibits to life and reducing the need for a dedicated tour guide for the entire visit. The innovation has been very well received across all age groups. Unavoidably, Olympic Day 2020 celebrations took place virtually. The inability to engage in face-to-face activities did not reduce the level of excitement among participants. The Olympic Week opened on Monday, 15 June with a Let’s Move TikTok Challenge, prompting participants to perform a creative physical activity as they moved through a video frame. Other physical tasks included a #greekstatue challenge, a treasure hunt, and a workout led by national athlete, Mario Burke, on Olympic Day. During the week, schoolchildren were invited to submit videos expressing their feelings about Physical Education and Sport, which were posted on a website. A discussion, Olympians Speak, afforded a panel of Olympians the opportunity to share their experiences and advice with the youth. The highlight of Olympic Week was an Activities Room on Academy’s webpage where participants could engage in a variety of games and educational activities, some of which had the Olympic values as their theme. A Hurdles Running Game released on Olympic Day was a fitting finale to an exciting week of online activities.