Bridgetown (Barbados), July 17 (IANS/CMC): Sports Minister Stephen Lashley is seeking to promote Barbados as an ideal transition training ground for athletes preparing for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

Lashley made this assertion in a keynote address to the Pan American Sports Organization’s (PASO) executive meeting at the Hilton Barbados on Monday.

Lashley explained that both Barbados and Brazil offered similar climatic conditions as well as excellent sporting facilities.

"In Barbados, we have recently installed a Mondo track at our National Stadium," the sports minister pointed out.

“Another track is nearing completion at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus; we also have Olympic standard swimming facilities and a gymnasium that caters to multiple indoors sports... and our beautiful shores can accommodate canoeing and other water sports."

The sports minister suggested that Barbados needed to create the “necessary pull activities” to fully benefit from sports tourism.

He said his country has begun to review a programme of activities and is hoping to gain the support of PASO as well as the Barbados Olympic Association and the National Sports Council.