The Barbados Olympic Association Inc. joins the rest of the Commonwealth to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening ceremony of the 1970 Commonwealth Games held in Edinburgh, Scotland this Friday July 17.
Barbados was represented by a small team comprising:
| Team Commandant: | Randolph Field | |
|---|---|---|
| Team General Manager: | Steve R. Stoute | |
| Weightlifting | Coach: | Delbert Bannister |
| Competitors: | Hal Springer | |
| Anthony ‘Mango’ Phillips | ||
| William Maynard | ||
| Cycling | Manager/Coach: | Reggie Taylor |
| Competitors: | Hector Edwards | |
| Walter Redman | ||
| Orlando Bates | ||
| Colin Forde |
The day after the opening ceremony, Mango Philips competed in the 56 kg weightlifting competition. In a very intense competition, he won a silver medal, being eclipsed only by the famous South African weightlifter, Precious Patrick McKenzie. McKenzie went on to compete for New Zealand in later years but was virtually unbeatable at Commonwealth level.
The other two weightlifters Hal Springer and William Maynard gave a good account of themselves to place 5th and 6th respectively.
In cycling, Hector Edwards competed in the 1000 m time trial and the match sprint, while Walter Redman, Orlando Bates and Colin Forde competed in the 4000 m individual pursuit and the 1000 m time trial. Bates and Forde also took part in the 10-mile scratch event.
The cycling team also made their presence felt but unfortunately had problems adapting to the inclement weather on a wood surface velodrome on which they were riding for the first time.
With Mango Phillips’ silver medal, Barbados placed 22nd overall out of 42 countries.
Barbados has won 10 medals at the Commonwealth Games. Two golds – Blair Blenman in 1958 (weightlifting) and Andrea Blackett in 1998 (athletics); Two Silvers – George Nicholls in 1954(weightlifting) and Mango Phillips in 1970 (Weightlifting); Six Bronze – Anton Norris in athletics (62 and 66); Barry Forde in cycling (1998); Junior Greenidge in boxing (2002); Anderson Emanuel in boxing (2006) and Shane Brathwaite in athletics (2014). The BOA recognizes the contribution of all athletes, coaches and administrators that participated in the games.