He took over the Youth and Sports portfolio four months ago - and today Minister Anthony Mahler said he needs to urgently shake things up in Sports. Well, more than shake it up - how about blowing it up? Here's how he put it an a press conference at the Marion Jones Stadium:
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Youth and Sports
"We've been in the job for just a little over four months. We've made some changes within the National Sports Council and will continue to do so. We've sat down with the Prime Minister and the other members of cabinet and presented a paper on where we want to take sports. And so, within the next few months, you will see some of those things and being rolled out. So we take the youth and sports thing very, very seriously. But we have to blow up everything and start over, pretty much. And I'm being honest, I mean all kind of people will say all kind of things, but it has not been working. But when we lose 13-1 to Costa Rica, that's not a good feel for the nation. That's not a good look. I don't believe in just participating and taking a beating on their own. And anywhere and whichever discipline you want to go. We have to be able to compete. Jamaica has done it well in terms of track and field and especially, sprinters. So why, why can't we replicate that same program there, and do it here in the least way? It's just because there hasn't really been that will and organizational capacity for us to be able to focus on sports. I mean, for the past, as long as I know, it has been lip service. Well the talking down now. We will put out money where our mouth is. I said what I said!"
