Celebrated Olympian Alia Atkinson will take the stage as a guest speaker at the Women in Sport Americas International Masterclass and Coaching Conference scheduled for May 1-3 in Aruba.

The event will be held under the aegis of the Aruba Paralympic Committee (APC), Caribbean Adaptive Sports Alliance (CASA), the Government of Aruba (GOA), the Americas Paralympic Committee (AmPC) and its commercial arm, Americas Parasports.

Atkinson, who has a distinguish and enviable career at the global level in the sport of swimming, is a noted speaker commanding various audiences with her inimitable style.

Shardea Arias-Croes, chairperson of the conference and secretary general of the Aruba Paralympic Committee, described Atkinson as “an Olympian and world-class swimmer whose dedication to advancing sport and empowering young athletes have made a lasting impact across the Caribbean and the global sporting community and whose journey exemplifies excellence, resilience, and leadership — qualities that make her an exceptional role model and an ideal figure to inspire the participants of this initiative.”

AmPC Vice-President Christopher Samuda echoed Croes’ sentiments.

“Alia inspires with the integrity of her advocacy and delivery. She inspires with her humility and amiability. She inspires as she is a trailblazer in sport at the Olympic and World Championship levels, a feat that is arguably unparalleled by any woman in Jamaica’s modern sporting history. Women in the sporting fraternity will be inspired,” Samuda said.

Though she is no longer on the starting blocks, Samuda believes Atkinson is still in the platinum lane and remains unaffected.

“Alia is Alia, down to earth and grounded despite her stratospheric achievements,” he noted.

Meanwhile, local Paralympic director Andrea Murray will represent Jamaica at the conference, which has attracted high-level officials from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Development Bank of Latin America, and the Caribbean (CAF). Principal executives from partners, the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA), Thrive Academy Aruba (TAA) and the Americas and the Caribbean Paralympic and Olympic movements, will also be present.

Workshops will be held on a range of topics including leadership development and innovation, safeguarding and athlete well-being and para swimming and athletics coaching and education.

Jamaican swimming icon Alia Atkinson (Jason Tulloch)