Hodge 'Belongs To All', Says Wheatley
Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley urged unity and an end to politicising support for athletes during a recognition event for Commonwealth Games medallists at Tortola Pier Park on August 11, 2026. He hailed Adaejah T. Hodge as a national treasure after her historic 200m gold in Glasgow and called on the public and private sectors to back sports development across the Virgin Islands.
Natalio Wheatley told a crowd at Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park on August 11 that Adaejah T. Hodge "belongs to all of us," urging residents to stop turning athletic support into a political issue. The remarks came at an official recognition ceremony and fan meet-and-greet that followed a motorcade through Tortola.
The procession began behind the Central Administration Complex and ended at the Pier Park, where organisers — the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs & Sports, the BVI Olympic Committee and the BVI Athletics Association — welcomed Hodge and other Commonwealth Games athletes back to the Territory.
Hodge made history at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games by winning the women’s 200m final in 22.07 seconds on July 31, becoming the first female athlete from the Virgin Islands to claim a Commonwealth gold medal in athletics. She set a new Commonwealth Games semi-final record with a 22.01 earlier in the competition.
The 2026 NCAA indoor and outdoor 200m champion has also represented the Territory at the World Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games. "She is our national treasure," the Premier said, likening Hodge to the Territory’s natural and economic strengths. "If we had oil, she would be like our oil.
She doesn’t belong to one political party or the other — she belongs to the entire Virgin Islands." Wheatley also highlighted the athlete’s discipline and humility, saying public recognition must be matched by personal investment and hard work. "You can have everyone around you investing in you.
But if you don’t invest in yourself... you will never reach your full potential," he said, praising Hodge’s respect for coaches, parents and teachers and calling her a blueprint for young people across the Territory. The ceremony included a cross-party gesture when Sixth District Representative and Opposition Member Hon.
Walwyn presented Hodge with the key to District Six on behalf of residents. Government officials and organisers used the occasion to thank athletes for raising the Territory’s profile and to encourage sustained public and private support for sporting programmes and facilities. As the Virgin Islands celebrates Hodge’s milestone, officials pressed the case for unity behind all athletes and for continued investment in youth sport — measures they say are vital to nurturing future champions and promoting national pride.
Primary source: VINO