Samuda makes call for Caribbean athletes’ union
Published:Thursday | September 4, 2025 | 12:24 AM
FOLLOWING HIS attendance at a recently concluded conference hosted by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) and the government of St Lucia, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) President Christopher Samuda has called for the formation of a Caribbean athletes’ union.
The conference, under the theme ‘Beyond the Game: Innovation, IP and Sports’, was held in Rodney Bay, St Lucia.
According to a statement by WIPO, the conference was aimed at inviting regional sports stakeholders with the purpose of exploring “how intellectual property can be harnessed to generate value, recognition, and economic opportunities within the country’s vibrant sports ecosystem”.
Samuda, after the conference, said it is now more important than ever for athletes in the region to be able to represent themselves and their interests beyond their various national associations and commissions.
“Athlete unions are sporting organisations which represents athletes in negotiations aimed towards better compensation, working conditions, health benefits and safety standards, among other concerns.
“These unions allow for athletes to present a stronger front in these negotiations, as they are able to bargain as a united collective, rather than various individuals.”
Samuda believes with the rapid growth of various sporting disciplines, this is not just an issue within national borders, but rather, a region-wide concern.
“The evolution of a Caribbean sport ecosystem demands that the rights and interest of the athlete have an infrastructure that goes beyond constitutional seats on boards and commissions and gains expression in bargaining representation,” Samuda said.
He, however, said the formation of a Caribbean athletes’ union would not diminish the work being done by the various national associations and athlete commissions.
Samuda argued that an athletes’ union would, instead, allow for athletes to better represent their own interests throughout their careers by combining their voices.
ATHLETE REPRESENTATION
“Don’t get me wrong. Athletes’ commissions and having athlete representation on boards are organic to the ecosystem of sport, and they enable critical achievements for athletes, particularly in the fields of education, health, and, to a lesser extent, the business of sport,” the JOA president explained.
“But while sportsmen and women are competing in their shelf lives, it would be valuable to have concentrated advocacy on athlete welfare that gives expression to a bankable voice from its own household, in addition to the voice in the residence of others; their governing bodies.”
While supportive of such a union, Samuda said it will fall on athletes to recognise the importance of self-representation and their rights as athletes.
“It is principal for the athletes themselves to acknowledge unreservedly the value of self-determination and instrumental support in that self-help context and act accordingly to protect their fundamental, social and commercial rights, including their intellectual property.”
He added, “This very fact compels collective representation that utilises professional expertise and economises efforts.”