Former national volleyball champion player, team coach and educator Anicia Wood has been awarded an Olympic Solidarity (OS) scholarship to participate in the 46th edition of the International Support Program for African and Caribbean Sport (PAISAC).
PAISAC delivers advanced, high-level training in applied sports sciences through a theoretical, multisport curriculum. Running since 2002, the programme equips coaches with the essential foundations required to optimally plan practices for their athletes, adapt specialised knowledge to specific sports and competitive levels, and transfer these competencies back to their national sporting structures and the wider Olympic movement.
The comprehensive programme is structured into two distinct phases: a six-week online distance learning phase running from November 9 to December 11, 2026, followed by a three-week in-person training phase hosted on location in Montreal, Canada, from May 24 to June 11, 2027.
Wood brings a rich and multifaceted background in sports to the programme. As a former professional volleyball player, her passion for the sport has led her to the Executive Board of the Barbados Volleyball Association where she currently serves as Chair of the Beach Volleyball Commission. In this role, she leads the management of the Barbados Beach Volleyball National Teams, while driving initiatives to strengthen the sport’s foundation, expand participation, and establish sustainable development pathways for young and aspiring athletes.
In addition to her administrative leadership, Wood is a lecturer in the Academy of Sport at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, where she supports the Sport Science and Sports Coaching programmes. She is also a certified National Coaching Certification Programme (NCCP) Level 3 Learning Facilitator for the Barbados Olympic Association Inc. (BOA).
“Through my work across coaching, education, and sport administration, I am passionate about developing athletes, and building stronger sporting structures in Barbados and the wider Caribbean,” stated Wood. “Receiving this Olympic Solidarity scholarship to attend PAISAC is a meaningful opportunity to further bridge the gap between sports theory and practical coaching. I look forward to engaging in this high-level multisport training and bringing valuable sports science insights back to empower our national athletes and coaching framework.”
Director of the National Olympic Academy of Barbados, Janelle Denny, congratulated Wood, stating that the BOA remains dedicated to identifying exceptional local coaches with the capacity to strengthen the island’s sporting framework.
“PAISAC’s applied sports sciences curriculum provides an invaluable platform for coaches to refine their practice planning and sports science application,” Denny said. “Anicia Wood’s background as a national athlete, UWI lecturer and NCCP Level 3 Learning Facilitator makes her an ideal candidate to maximise this scholarship. We are confident she will return with knowledge that enhances both local sport and the broader Olympic movement.”