St. Martin won the bid to stage the 2013 Kingdom Games.

Madame Prime Minister
Colleagues in the Council of Ministers
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media
Residents of our beloved island.
Good morning.

Let me start with some good news: St. Martin has won the bid to stage the 2013 Kingdom Games. The Kingdom Steering Committee for the Games will be meeting here from today Wednesday, September 14, until Friday, September 16 and will confirm this decision.
Of course, this means we have to begin preparing like yesterday for this important sporting event. We have to renovate, upgrade and modernize some of our sporting facilities, the main one being the Raul Illidge Sports Complex. I met with the board of the Complex this morning to discuss plans for its overhaul.
We also need to prepare our athletes for the Games. As you are all aware of, it is my considered position that it is no longer acceptable to simply participate in sporting events just for the sake of participating. We have to adopt the mentality of winners and participate because we want to stand on the victory podium. That is the best way to represent St. Martin and fly our flag high.
The final list of sports that participants will compete in during the Games will be drawn up this week. It is my view that the decision should be based on what the host of the Games can properly provide facilities for and offer each participant a fair and level playing field.
The preparation of our athletes and the upgrading, renovation and modernization of our facilities formed part of discussions during Part I of our Sports Conference held at USM on Saturday, September 4. I want to thank all the representatives of the various sports clubs, associations, federations and sports lovers who attended that Conference and to remind them and all those who may not have been able to participate then that Part II of the Conference will be held this Saturday, September 17 at the University of St. Martin.
This second part of the Sports Conference will be a half-day affair, and will focus on various aspects of the Sports Policy we are trying to establish with the input of every stakeholder. It is therefore important that everyone who has a contribution to make attend this Conference. Please consider this an open and personal invitation. Let us together design a Sports Policy that is befitting for our island.
Those who were present at Part I of the Conference will remember the very important presentation made by the Cuban delegation that was here for the whole of last week.
The delegation met with various sports groups, including the St. Martin Sports Federation and the National Olympic Committee, as well as officials of the Youth and Sports Department. Reports reaching me indicate that the discussions were very enlightening and productive with various areas of possible cooperation identified.
One such area will be the training of our coaches, technical assistance in the area of training of athletes, Physical Education teachers, and sports exchange possibly even at the secondary school level.
The Cuban delegation also met with Education officials, the board and management of University of St. Martin, Public School managers, and had face-to-face exchange with students of the St. Dominic High School. Again, all the reports I have received so far have been very positive. The delegation was very impressed with St. Martin and especially with the enthusiasm and interest that everyone they met with showed.
The next step now is to draw up a framework of cooperation based on the findings of the delegation and the areas of need expressed by the various instances they met with on St. Martin. This will lead to negotiations between the relevant ministries of our island and Cuba to sign a cooperation agreement that would be mutually beneficial to both parties. We are following up with these matters and you will be fully briefed about the progress made.
Finally, I am pleased to inform you that preparations have already started for the celebration of St. Martin Day this year. An Organizing Committee has begun meetings, and a program of activities has been drawn up, kicking off with the Little Miss St. Martin Pageant for children 8 to 11 years' old on November 6, 2011. This is a cultural pageant, which will focus on the island's history and culture.
A calendar of events will be published so that the public can be well –informed. All those persons who are planning events for St. Martin Day should please contact the Culture Department so that their events could be included in the calendar.
On that note, I want to thank you all and await whatever questions you may have for me.