Jamaica and the West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh is now Ambassador at Large and Special Envoy of the Government of Jamaica.
Prime Minister P. J. Patterson made the announcement yesterday at Jamaica House at a ceremony where he presented the Jamaica captain and former West Indies captain with his diplomatic passport.
Mr. Patterson commended Walsh, not only for winning international recognition with the ball, but also for his exemplary conduct and for the leadership which he has provided to his club, his national side, and to the West Indies.
``Sport is a vehicle that inculcates a sense of discipline, a sense of national pride, and those who excel in sports are role models who influence the society. Sport includes performance, good discipline and high class sportsmanship, and if there is one person who personifies all that is good in sports, it is Courtney Walsh.''
The Prime Minister also congratulated Walsh on his decision to continue to represent the West Indies - a decision which he said ``shows that he is bigger than even his physical stature suggests.''
``Courtney Walsh is an ambassador for the game, an ambassador for Jamaica, an ambassador for the Caribbean, and Jamaicans are proud of him.''
In accepting the honour bestowed on him, Walsh said, ``It is not often that I am at a loss for words, but this time I am.