New Sir Garry statue on the cards

Barbados Advocate article.

Bridgetown, Barbados - The erection of another statue of a living legend and a Sporting Wall of Fame are on the cards for the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex as government seeks to further develop the area.

According to Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, one of the main focuses in the expansion of the complex’s offerings would be that of paying tribute to the island’s only living National Hero, Sir Garfield Sobers.

The new statue would be one of the highlights. Currently, the first statue of the cricketing great stands at the entrance of the world-renowned Kensington Oval.

He outlined the plans while speaking in the Lower House earlier this week, pointing out that the wall “will comprise photos of sporting icons and celebrities who perform at the gymnasium, but a specific area is intended to be designed to highlight the contribution of Sir Garry”.

In addition, the complex, which is to be transformed into an international sports hub, would amongst other facilities, feature a Sports Cafe and Networking Centre.

“[In] bringing international competition to Barbados, there is a need to enhance the facilities and along with that, bring significant gains to Barbados. We know that the capability is there to place Barbados at the centre of attracting sports tourism.

It is therefore very important because without adequate facilities we cannot obtain the gains that we say that we want to obtain, particularly in relation to advancing the cause where sports is being placed at the centre of economic activity and as a key area of the growth strategy of the government,” he stated.