With today being Commonwealth Day, I have decided to contribute with a short blog post. Being a Canadian SportWORKS Officer, I feel honoured to represent Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) and help with achieving their brand promise of building a better Commonwealth through sport. As I am now in the final stretch of my internship, I think it is a good time to reflect on how my work has contributed to a #ConnectedCommonwealth based off of the CGC’s core values: excellence, development and community.
Excellence: As mentioned in my bio, I am very passionate about continuous learning. I have learned many new things about myself, and the global sporting complex while in Botswana. I am proud of our work so far with Botswana Long-Term Athlete Development (BLTAD) and I am happy that I will be leaving behind a framework that can contribute to rugby excellence in this country.
Development: For me, development is taking steps and implementing change to create a better and safer tomorrow. Our work with implementing concussion education and prevention tactics with the Botswana Rugby Union is a step towards safer rugby in Botswana. I think the small changes we have implemented will have a large impact on the health and well-being of rugby athletes.
Community: Through my internship I have been able to work between three different sport organizations. Through that process, I have met many incredible people and have gotten a sense of what sport means to this community. My time spent at rugby clubs has shown me the great camaraderie and sportsmanship between athletes, coaches and fans. It has been truly incredible.
Nelson Mandela said that the Commonwealth makes the world safe for diversity and today, I think we can all cheerfully observe and reflect on the strong bonds and relationships that have been created between Commonwealth nations.
Be sure to check back towards the end of the month as there will be plenty of new things I will be discussing.
Cheers,
Paul Morra
Happy Commonwealth Day