Commendation and praise were heaped on George F Huggins & Co. Grenada Limited for their support of Grenada’s world-rated Decathalon athlete Lindon Victor, OBE as he prepares for the 2024 Paris Olympics to be held from July 26 to August 11.
President of the Grenada Olympic Committee (GOC) Bernard Wilson complimented Huggins for their intuition in selecting Victor as their ambassador in the early stages of his career.
“I would like to commend George F. Huggins for that extreme corporate conscience that you have exhibited and you are continuing to exhibit. I am glad that you chose to sponsor Lindon from so very far back because it also shows your foresight,” he said at a ceremony in which a cheque was presented to the elite athlete.
In applauding the local company, Wilson, a former Olympic boxer expressed gratitude for the company’s support in the Decathlon athlete’s endeavours and encouraged the two time Commonwealth Games champion to continue doing well in his athletic pursuits.
“…Lindon is very much worthy of your sponsorship. We at the GOC are grateful for your sponsorship. I have been very proud of all that you have accomplished. I look forward for more things from Lindon. I look forward to more assistance from George F Huggins & Co…,” he said.
President of the Grenada Athletic Association (GAA) Conrad Francis expressed delight in Huggins’ continuous contributions towards Victor.
“The Grenada Athletic Association is very, very happy and we are in gratitude to Huggins for supporting Lindon Victor, and Huggins over the years have always supported us,” he said.
Echoing similar sentiments of President Wilson, the GAA leader approved of the company’s foresight in choosing the athelete as one of its ambassadors.
“You always start from small. You do not wait until we get big so for all our sports meets and our little mini-meets, the CARIFTA games, you have always been there with us and supported us and we are very happy that Lindon is one of your flagship athletes because Decathlon is not an easy event.”
“So, you coming onboard and helping him is a big, big thing in Lindon’s favour. We are just happy you are onboard to assist us. Your contribution of assisting him with his equipment, it is the world to us. It means a lot to us and means so much to Lindon. “
General Secretary of the GAA Veda Bruno-Victor thanked the company for its assistance and devotion towards Victor.
“First time I came to Huggins, I came with Lindon in that formal way… to ask them to look after Lindon. We thank you Mrs. Chow Chung and your Directors for looking after Lindon and taking him to this part of his journey. Huggins has been a part of Lindon from the beginning,” she said.
Referring to the company as “exemplary”, the former National netballer pointed out that corporate sponsors like Huggins are needed to help sporting organisations like the GAA.
“Huggins is an exemplary, totally Grenadian business company. They understood what it meant to sponsor teams. Government, Olympic Committee cannot do it alone. It is so important for us to get our corporate sponsors on board with us…,” she remarked.
Bruno-Victor noted that Huggins has a history of being accommodating and loyal when it comes to sponsorships and ambassadorship.
“This is Huggins’ son – a son of the company. Huggins starts with you from the beginning and they don’t leave you in the wilderness. Even when you don’t do too well, they are still there pushing you along and that is important. A lot of people like to come onboard on things when the person has achieved something.”
“That is not when you are needed. You are needed now when they are young. You’re needed when they are now starting. You are needed when you are not sure what they’re going to do and you bring them through.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Desiree Stephen disclosed that for the next three years, the ministry will prioritise the development of young people.
“At the Ministry we would have branded the years 2024 to 2027 as the years of Global Youth Leadership and Succession Planning which means we have a mandate to develop our youths locally, regionally and internationally (in) which Lindon is one of those leaders that we will be and continue to work with to ensure that he achieves the objectives and goals he sets out for himself,” she said.
In expressing support for the generosity of Huggins, the senior public officer urged other private sector entities to come together to aid athletes because it is vital for their growth.
“I appreciate your humbleness and your passion for what it is you do. We look forward to big things happening for you this year as it’s happened over the last couple years. We are happy that Huggins has agreed to continue supporting you in your endeavours because as a Ministry, as a government, we cannot do it alone and so collaboration with corporate sponsors is very important and very essential.”
Stephen believes that love for Grenada is the driving force behind Huggins’ endeavour and urged the company to continue with its collaboration in sports, education and culture.
She also admonished Victor to continue representing Grenada at the international level.
“Huggins has a corporate social responsibility but I know that is not the only reason why they are doing it. They are doing it for the love of country, so it is a joy for them to give back to our athletes, to culture, to education and I know that they will continue doing this and continue supporting.”
According to Stephen, the ministry will continue to give Victor as much support as possible.
“Continue reaching out to us, continue making us proud as a nation. We know that you will go out there in the Olympics and do just what you’re supposed to do,” she said.
In his own remarks, the top Decathlon athlete stated that Huggins should be complimented for helping Grenadian athletes as an authentically Grenadian company.
“I am not standing here because of chance, I am standing here because of an ability given to me by God and I maximized it (to) the best of my ability. The fact that Huggins is a 100% Grenadian company has to be celebrated…,” he said.
Victor warned that if Grenadian companies do not support their own then expectations should not be placed on American sporting companies stepping in to support Grenadian athletes.
“If we don’t support our own athletes, do you expect Adidas to support our athletes? Do you expect Nike to support our athletes? Do you expect all these other companies to support our athletes?”
He urged the other Grenadian companies to follow in the footsteps of Huggins in aiding Grenadian athletes at home and in the diaspora.
“I wish that other companies would see this and use this as an opportunity to support our own local athletes. I must tell you that it is needed – support is needed.”
Victor called upon the Dickon Mitchell-led Congress administration to create policies and incentives that would attract Grenadian companies to support the local athletes.
“I hope that the government will help companies get incentives to actually help athletes whether it will be a tax write-off… to actually motivate companies to support these athletes. We are at a special place in Grenada where we have medals coming out from everywhere but the fact of the matter is, the reality is me, Kirani (James), Anderson Peters and Kurt (Felix), we cannot do this anymore and who will be the next Anderson and Kurt and Kirani and Lindon?
The Commonwealth Games Champion proposed that resources in Grenada should be utilised towards various sporting disciplines.
“I really believe companies should use their resources and pump it into our nation, pump it into Sports Marketing, pump it into Sports Tourism, pump it into Sports Ambassadorship. We will see our natural resources, which is our young athletes whether they’ll be male or female blossom into Olympic champions and world record holders and then we get to celebrate as a country, not try to celebrate after the thing is done…,” he told the ceremony.
The ace athlete pleaded with Grenadian businesses to come to the assistance of young and upcoming athletes.
“Companies can support young athletes. They can support our Olympic Committee. They can support our Athletic Association. This is why what Huggins did for me is why I call them family,” he said.
Corporate Marketing Manager at Huggins, Najuma Francis-Patrick referred to the world bronze winner as “family” and that the company is happy to be a part of his journey.
“Here at Huggins when you hear the name Lindon Victor, it’s not just the name of another athlete. He is family and we are indeed honoured to have been a part of Lindon’s journey to date,” she said.
The Marketing Manager described what makes the corporate relationship work is the similarities between the decathlon athlete and what the company represents.
“There are many attributes of Lindon that are synonymous with Huggins. Lindon is authentically Grenadian so is Huggins which boasts of being 100% locally owned. There are many disciplines involved in the decathlon which can be compared to the diverse business operations of Huggins.
“The strength Lindon ensues is comparable to the strength of the Huggins brand which has stood the test of time for over a century and there are many other attributes but today we are happy that you have made the time to join us for this momentous occasion as we make this meaningful contribution towards the next step of Lindon’s journey.”