Rey O'Neal, center, is joined by athletes he developed, L-R; Dean Greenaway, Dag Samuels, Rose Adams and Ephraim Penn

 Rey O’Neal recognized with OBE

presented by Princess Anne

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

 Rey O’Neal, one of the BVI’s sporting pioneers broke new ground on Friday morning, when he received an Order of the British Empire award, presented by Britain’s Princess Anne during an investiture ceremony at Government House.

Flanked by supporters A. O. Shirley and Audley Maduro, with family members and athletes he helped developed observing, O’Neal became the first sports figure to be recognized with the OBE, for his work in BVI sports over the last 35 years.

“He is a man who created the BVI Olympic Committee and who has made the development of BVI sports and indeed Caribbean sports, his life’s work,” Governor Thomas Macan said during his opening remarks where he gave a historic perspective of the award that dates back to 1917. Macan said it was only fitting that Princess Anne, a 1976 British Equestrian Olympian and now a member of the International Olympic Committee should be the one to invest O’Neal.

O’Neal, a founding member of the BVI Amateur Athletic Association in 1970 and the BVI Olympic Committee in 1980, is the longest serving president of any BVI sport. Currently the vice president of the athletic association after 23 successive year tenure and 28 overall, O’Neal has been the president of the BVI Olympic Committee for the last 17 years.

Last year, he was inducted into the Caribbean and Central American Track and Field Hall of Fame during the Carifta Games in Bermuda. In 2003, he was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations and received its Veteran Pin, during a Paris ceremony.

“I’ve received international awards from international bodies, but, it always mean a lot more when it comes from you own community,” O’Neal said. “I’m certainly very appreciative. I regret that some persons who I would particularly have liked to have been here to see me accept the award, have not been able to attend, but that’s a part of life.”

Following the ceremony, O’Neal, who along with Virgin Gorda’s Gracia Stevens received awards, spent 15 minutes chatting with Princess Anne. “We spoke first of all about the interconnection between education and sports. She was quite instructive in bringing up the point that education is not just academics,” O’Neal explained. “Education has to do with molding the whole individual. We also discussed the role that water sports could play in producing Olympic athletes in the BVI and in fact, getting more youngsters involved in sports. That was a part of her mission this time and we know she launched the BVI Water sports center on Thursday.”

Although he has been at International Olympic Committee functions where she has been, O’Neal said it was quite an honor to meet Princess Royal. “Our path has never really crossed before,” O’Neal said. “I met her younger brother at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand in 1990, but she has been a member of the International Olympic Committee for a number of years and certainly an influential one.”