The Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Barbados.
The mission of the NOCs is to develop, promote and protect the Olympic Movement in their respective countries, in accordance with the Olympic Charter.
As the NOC of Barbados, the role of the BOA (as outlined in the IOC Olympic Charter) is:
- To promote the fundamental principles and values of Olympism in Barbados, in particular in the fields of sport and education
- To ensure the observance of the Olympic Charter in Barbados
- To encourage the development of high performance sport as well as sport for all
- To help in the training of sports administrators by organising courses and ensuring that such courses contribute to the propagation of the fundamental principles of Olympism
- To take action against any form of discrimination and violence in sport
- To adopt and implement the World Anti Doping Code
The BOA recognises its obligation as a NOC to participate in the Games of the Olympiad. Through the National Federations athletes are selected to represent Barbados at the Olympic, Commonwealth, Pan American, Central American and Caribbean Games and any other International games recognized and approved by the IOC.
In line with the Olympic Charter, the BOA also recognises its obligation to educate the public about the importance of physical recreation in improving the health of Barbadians as well as fostering the spirit of citizenship and raising awareness about environmental issues.
The BOA has a commitment to promote peace and to support and encourage the promotion of sports ethics in the fight against the use of substances and procedures prohibited by the IOC or International Sport Federations and in this regard, to ensure the observance of the World Anti-Doping Code.
History
Formed after the dissolution of the West Indies Federation in 1962, the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) first competed at the Olympic level at the 1968 Summer Olympics and has continued to compete at every Olympics since excluding the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.