Remarks by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon. Shirley Botchwey, at the Commonwealth Cricket Celebration on 9th September 2026.
The wonderful music and cricketing displays we have enjoyed in the garden today have given us a taste of the energy, human ingenuity and friendship we can look forward to in Antigua and Barbuda in November.
In less than two months, Commonwealth leaders will gather there for CHOGM.
The idea for this cricket celebration came from the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Right Honourable Gaston Browne. He saw that, alongside the serious business of CHOGM, cricket could provide a different way to bring people together. I thank him for this imaginative and distinctive addition to the CHOGM programme.
As the chair of the host Task Force for CHOGM, Minister Greene has been key to taking this forward. I commend your leadership, Minister. High Commissioner Hill, I am delighted that you are with us today as we bring that idea to life.
Cricket occupies a special place in the story of the Commonwealth. It is part of a history we share. But, just like the Commonwealth itself, it has never stood still. Countries and communities have taken the game, transformed it and made it their own. Each has brought to it a distinctive style and meaning.
In the process, cricket has become part of community life and a source of pride and joy for millions of people. At its best, it gives those of different backgrounds common ground on which to meet in friendly competition. Few people embody that story more powerfully than Sir Vivian Richards.
One of the greatest ever to play the game, he represents Caribbean excellence and confidence. Sir Vivian, we are honoured that you are serving as a CHOGM Envoy and grateful for your support for this initiative. It is especially fitting that the matches in November will take place at the stadium which bears your name.
That celebration will include a special Heads of Government match and an Under-23 Rising Stars match. They will bring leaders and cricketing greats together while giving emerging young players an opportunity to demonstrate their talent. And when we remember that more than sixty per cent of the Commonwealth’s citizens are under the age of thirty, we understand that the ambition and creativity of our young people are among our greatest assets. These matches will provide entertainment, certainly. But we want their value to reach beyond the occasion itself.
At the Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in Glasgow, I spoke about sport as an investment in people. It can help young people grow their confidence and develop a sense of belonging. Sport connects them with education, mentoring and routes into employment. And it gives them the opportunity to discover what they can truly achieve. That opportunity is precious and it must be open to everyone.
Women and girls must have an equal stake. Persons with disabilities must be able to participate and benefit. And we must reach communities where access to facilities and coaching remains limited. Achieving all that takes partnership. Governments, sporting bodies, businesses and community organisations all have something essential to contribute.
The Commonwealth can help bring those strengths together, turning the enthusiasm generated by these matches into real investment and lasting opportunity. That goes to the heart of the theme for CHOGM 2026: Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth. Our strength as a Commonwealth lies in the breadth and depth of our relationships.
But the value of those relationships must be harnessed to transform, for the better, the lives of the people we serve.
So, the legacy of this initiative will reach far beyond the excitement of the moment and the runs on the board. It will open doors for young people and extend opportunity to communities too often excluded, leaving something lasting after CHOGM has ended. That is how we turn relationships into results.
I thank Sir Vivian, Cricket West Indies, our panellists and all the partners helping to make this wonderful celebration possible today. And I look forward to seeing this idea take the field in Antigua and Barbuda in November.
It promises to be a memorable occasion.
One Commonwealth. One Team. One shared future. Thank you.
