 Officers of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports expressed that the agency is investing an estimated EC 300,000 annually in its elite and emerging athletes program, EEAP. The objective of the arrangement is to support the development of future sports persons in St. Lucia. Director of Sports Patrick Marfressels, the EEAP has established processes to identify young and promising athletic talent in St. Lucia. The emerging athletes who in a sense have potential and the potential would have been identified by our coaches within the ministry, the coaches from the associations or maybe generally somebody from the outside like a scout for instance would have seen persons who have the potential to move on and there's a scientific way to do it and as it's been said all the time you need to trust the science. Identifying sporting talent at a younger age is critical for the program's success and the athlete's development. You will hardly find a sprinter at 21 years emerging. I mean that's in terms of the sprinter the life of the sprinter that's something different. A volleyball player might be emerging at 18 years at 17 at 16. The important thing for us is that the younger you get them the better it is for you because you're able to train them in the correct habits of the sport. So more often than not the emerging ones are the younger ones who identify the talent at the younger age of junior stage but as we move now in terms of the older ones we go we go beyond that. One of St. Lucia's emerging athletes is 14-year-old Naomi London who started running from the age of seven. Seeing her wearing her national colors her goals are set at the highest levels. My dream is to go to the youth olympics and sing senior olympics after and to make St. Lucia proud. The first day I think I ran I was like maybe seven and my coach saw the potential in me and he just took me and started training me and then I took it serious because I saw that I could you know enhanced a track and field you know enhance my career go far with it so I just started I personally wanted to do cricket but I saw more talent in track and field. Her coach revealed that she's one of the fastest young sprinters on island. From her primary school level she have been the most outstanding athlete in St. Lucia. I cannot recall her ever getting a silver medal at any competition at her level to date. Arguably she's the as of the competition here this year she's the second fastest female in St. Lucia at the moment. And of course with the discipline and commitment that this young lady has I foresee within the next two to three years minimum that she will be able to give St. Lucia podium finish at the highest level. Dean McGlaw sports officer responsible for the elite and emerging athletes program believes all students should be taught physical education at a primary school level which is a critical time to identify the talent to be matured into emerging athletes. With athlete commitment and dedicated coaching eventually some will make it to the elite level. Marvin St. Louis reporting for the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports.