UNESCO Champion for Sports Ambassador, Veronica Campbell Brown, has reacted with joy to news coming out of the West Indies Cricket Board that they are contemplating awarding retainer contracts for members of the female cricketers in the region.

The double Olympic and IAAF world champion said such contracts were necessary for those involved in sports and singled out Stephanie Taylor for high praise.

“It was with joy today that I read in the Jamaica Observer that the West Indies Cricket Board is contemplating awarding retainer contracts to the women cricketers in the region.

“As someone who has had the benefits from a retainer agreement, I can vouch for its necessity in the life of a sports person and surely

the Stephanie Taylors of West Indies cricket are no exceptions.”

Speaking “forcefully” in her UNESCO capacity, Campbell Brown said: “Surely, the timing of this announcement is wonderful as the cricketers are preparing for the ICC Women’s World Challenge in South Africa, so here’s hoping the WICB will be gracious and generous to these ladies who are striving to project West Indies cricket to the sporting world”.

Campbell Brown, who was named a UNESCO Champion for Sports Ambassador approximately a year ago, said up on the conferring of the honour, “Two things dawned on me. One was the privileged sporting fraternity I was being pulled into and secondly, the enormity of the task that was ahead of me as I champion the cause of women, particularly in the sporting arena.”

The former Vere Technical athlete who has won world titles at every level from youth and juniors through senior, ended the 2010 season as the fastest in the world in both the 100 metres — a personal best 10.78 seconds and 200 metres — 21.98 seconds, her third fastest ever.