Four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon feels that T&T’s athletics infrastructure needs to improve significantly in order to provide the country’s athletes with the best chance of succeeding on the world stage. Boldon made the statements during the first day of the Atlantic/Ministry of Sport Leadership Symposium, entitled ‘Seeing Through the ‘I’’, at Cascadia Hotel’s Ball Room in St Ann’s yesterday morning. Addressing the current state of local track and field, the outspoken 38-year-old said there was no excuse for the country’s administrators not to have the same level professionalism as those in other countries. “I am hard on my country and I am hard on sports administrators and I am criticised because people say that I have unrealistic expectations...but I see things done right in too many other places for me to always come back here and say, ‘Well, it’s Trinidad.’ Have we made progress? Yes, but not significant progress. The reality is there are so many [shortcomings] which you think you’re past and then the next year they show back up again...Handing an athlete a cheque every month is one thing, but we still have issues which athletes from other countries don’t have to deal with and it’s unacceptable...If calling a spade a spade makes me controversial then that’s a label I accepted a long time ago.”
When asked about finding a balance between academics and sport, the UCLA graduate told the 250 plus students that school work should be their top priority. “Always defer to the side of your academics,” he said. “The odds of you becoming a professional or making it to the highest level in a sport is extremely unlikely. Not that I’m trying to be a naysayer, I’m just trying to be real. If you have to cut back on some of your sports training to make sure that your academics are taken care of, then that is what you have to do.” However, he noted that extreme dedication would be necessary for those interested in reaching the top. “Olympic athletes are the most selfish people on the face of the earth... When you cry, sweat and breathe for four years just to reach one goal, there isn’t much you can allow to even remotely distract you,” he said, adding. “I went to school with Brian Lara and even back then he walked around playing imaginary shots in the halls of Fatima. Your sport has to become a part of you”
Boldon also warned the students not to allow skeptical friends and family members to discourage them from pursuing their goals. “I sympathise with a lot of young dreamers. I remember how difficult it was when all I had around me were naysayers. Everybody told me that I should find something else to do, but I knew what I wanted and there wasn’t a single living soul who could have convinced me that I couldn’t do it. It really has to be an inner conviction and it boils down to how badly you want it...Right at that point where you feel like the naysayers are correct, you might be one step away from reaching your breakthrough.” Other facilitators yesterday included inspirational speaker Don La Foucade and former Miss T&T Kenisha Thom-Selvon. The symposium will continue today with lectures by former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, former national rugby player Kwanieze John and inspirational speaker Veera Bhajan. Tomorrow’s speakers will include former national goalkeeper Shaka Hislop and secretary of the T&T Olympic Committee Brian Lewis while the final day on Thursday will feature Minister of Sport Anil Roberts.
Source: www.guardian.co.tt