Team TTO | Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee | teamtto.org

Toulouse won the Top 14 Rugby title for the 19th time when they beat Toulon 18-12 at Stade de France on Saturday.

The victory means that Toulouse have won back to back Top 14 Rugby titles.

Guy Noves' team dominated the battle up front and fairly destroyed the Toulon scrum, but while Luke McAlister was unerring with his trusty right boot, unforced errors made the game much closer than it should have been.

Jonny Wilkinson notched up four penalties for Toulon, for whom flankers Steffon Armitage and Joe van Niekerk were instrumental in providing an upper hand in the loose.

"I look at the young players and the whole of my staff enjoying it and being rewarded for their hard work," said Noves.

"We're used to very good things and we want to repeat them.

"But it was tough until the final whistle today. We could have lost at the end, conceded a converted try. I'm a little disappointed because it wasn't a beautiful final. But with finals, well, you have to win them and that's it.

"We scored loads of tries throughout the season. We tried to put on a show, but today we had to win."

Toulon lock Christophe Samson, newly called up to the France squad, added: "Toulouse really took the scrum on well. Afterwards it's more complicated to play our game.

"It's a shame because we were there until the 60th minute. Matches of this level don't come down to much, and Toulouse were better."

Toulouse were forced into making three late changes after prop Jean-Baptiste Poux, winger Yves Donguy and replacement lock Romain Millo-Chluski were all ruled out through injury.

McAlister took Lionel Beauxis' place at fly-half to allow Yann David in at centre, with Timoci Matanavou replacing Donguy, and ex-Springbok Gurthro Steenkamp coming into the front row -- and playing a massive game.

Wilkinson opened the scoring in the first minute after a ruck infringement, but a senseless foul by England veteran Simon Shaw from the re-start allowed McAlister to level the scores.

McAlister narrowly missed a snatched 19th-minute drop goal but put Toulouse into the lead a couple of minutes later after the Toulon pack had popped at the scrum.

The ferocity of the hits in defence and the breakdown began to tell and Wilkinson banged over two penalties either side of the half-hour mark to hand Toulon a 9-6 lead.

But Toulouse's scrum was in the ascendancy and another massive shunt on their own ball saw Toulon wilt again, and McAlister peg the scores back to parity.

Wilkinson was on hand to produce a fine covering tackle on massive Samoa prop Census Johnston with the line looming, a McAlister drop from the ensuing ruck coming back off the post and eventually cleared by Toulon, leaving the scores 9-9 at the break.

Toulouse came out for the second period in the full knowledge where their strengths lay, destroying the opening scrum for another penalty McAlister made no mistake with.

But Toulon kept clinging on through the doughtiness of Armitage and Van Niekerk, and Wilkinson hit his fourth penalty after an accidental offside by Yoann Maestri.

Tempers flared and hookers William Servat and Sebastian Bruno went toe-to-toe only to be both yellow carded by referee Romain Poite. Wilkinson missed a second drop-goal attempt in the melee.

The 33-year-old fly-half, whose drop-goal saw England clinch the 2003 World Cup against Australia, missed a 50-metre penalty after Maestri strayed offside at a lineout, shortly followed by teammate Benjamin Lapeyre.

Georgian prop Davit Kubriachvili eventually paid the price for a torrid time at the hands of Johnston in the front row, sin binned after again popping up under pressure, McAlister on target with his fifth penalty for a 15-12 lead.

With 15 minutes to play, fatigue was beginning to show, and the ex-All Black playmaker scythed past Bruno into a midfield gap, but rather than keep ball in hand opted for a grubber Lapeyre did well to cover from fullback.

Armitage was then called for offside in a massive hit on Steenkamp, and McAlister took Toulouse out to 18-12.

Toulon winger David Smith failed to gather a pass with a try-scoring three on two situation on the cards and a series of pick and goes on the Toulouse line produced nothing to dash Toulon's hopes of a fourth title, the last having come in 1992.

Final Score Toulouse 18 (9) Toulon 12 (9)

Scorers

Toulouse
Tries -
Pen - L McAlister 6
Con -
Drop -
Cards -

Toulon
Tries -
Pen - J Wilkinson 4
Con -
Drop -
Cards -

Source: www.rugbyweek.com

Dame Kelly Holmes criticises the lack of support for the hopefuls who face last-minute rejection

An Olympic team announcement is not always a moment for celebration, as Aaron Cook is discovering. The tae kwon do No 1 found out on Friday that the British Olympic Association has upheld a decision to leave him out of the national team, and he is now considering legal action. Exclusion from Team GB is devastating for the men and women who have dedicated their lives to their sport, yet, as their career falls off a cliff, they are simply left to cope.

A final flurry of Olympic selection begins on Wednesday when the British cycling team is announced, as the last sports choose their athletes for the Games. Behind each of these announcements are the dashed hopes of competitors, discovering that after years of sacrifice they will be spending the first two weeks of August watching the Games from their sofas.

The double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes believes athletes do not receive enough help once they become surplus to requirements. "Many sports performers just don't know what to do next and there hasn't been a lot of support for them, as most of the funding is focused on helping the current athletes," she said.

For full-time athletes, the Games are the reward for up to a decade or more of self-sacrifice. Careers, social life, financial security and lie-ins are all set aside for the ultimate goal. So what happens if it turns out that it has all been in vain?

Whether it is an untimely injury, a poor performance at the crucial moment, or the crushing realisation that you're simply never going to be good enough, years of work can be rendered pointless in an instant.

"For those who don't make the podium or even selection for a team place it can be utterly devastating, especially if that means the end of your competitive career", Dame Kelly said. "Many people I have spoken to get quite depressed and disillusioned, as they feel have lost their sense of direction, focus and their identity."

It only took a couple of lacklustre lengths of the pool in Sheffield to stop the breaststroke swimmer Adam Whitehead going to Athens in 2004. Two years earlier he had won at the Commonwealth Games, but his qualifying race time put him in third place and shut down his Olympic dream. "I always believed that I had an Olympic medal in me, but I knew then it wasn't going to happen. I was crying my eyes out into my goggles, swimming up and down in the warm-down pool because it was all over.

"I had to take anti-depressants. The next two years I had glandular fever and got chronic fatigue. It was a mixture of being very down about that performance and me pushing my body too hard and it breaking down, physically and mentally. Once I retired, I didn't get any support from the Swimming Association and, because I'd been off funding, there was no careers advice. There was no, 'This is what you could do now', not even a thank you. It was just, 'Off you go'."

Mr Whitehead now works with young people for the DKH Legacy Trust, a charity set up by Dame Kelly to create a support network for retiring athletes and help them use their skills to inspire teenagers who are not in employment or training. His life has moved on now, but for competitors such as Commonwealth judo champion Tom Davis, the rejection is still very fresh.

The judo team will not be officially announced for another week but the 29-year-old already knows he has only made the reserve spot. "It was massively disappointing to miss out on a life-long ambition," he said. After a knee operation in 2008 he was cut off from the funded programme, which meant that there were no sport psychologists or counsellors on hand to pick up the pieces. "There have been times where I've felt messed over, but you look to yourself as well."

A spokeswoman for UK Sport acknowledged that this is a tricky time for some. "Olympic selection, particularly for a home Games, is always a tough time for those who miss out. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each sport's national governing body in which we invest to support athletes on their programme through this difficult time."

Mike Peart, 35, found out six weeks ago that he had not made it on to Britain's archery team for the second Games in a row after training full-time with the squad since 2005. "I'm a mechanical engineer but I gave it up for archery. Everything I decided was not what's best for my career but what's best for sport. You put a hell of a lot into this. It's always there. Christmas Day you are popping out to the garage to train. You are always missing family occasions, social occasions. For the past 20 years, archery always came first.

"I can't comprehend leaving the archery world. I'm going to decide at the end of the year if I'll carry on as an athlete."

Amanda Coulson pioneered women's boxing in Britain and always dreamed of stepping into an Olympic ring. When it was recognised as an Olympic sport in 2009, she was in pole position to represent her country as a lightweight. But last month the 29-year-old was beaten to the place by her rival Natasha Jonas, 27. "It felt like my whole life had crashed in front of me. I never really thought that I wouldn't be going to the Olympics. It was a case of 'what on earth do I do now?'"

She is refocusing her efforts on the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and August will be a month to forget. "I'm going to have to sit and watch it instead. I didn't want to buy tickets because I believed that I was going to be there."

Franki Jus-Burke, 25, a rower, missed out on qualifying for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics after she suffered injuries at precisely the wrong moments. First a back problem scuppered her hopes of getting to Beijing, then, in 2010, she had an operation on her hip. She left her job to throw herself into training and was just returning to form last year when the hip injury returned.

Now she will have to watch her husband Bill Lucas compete at the Games in the men's double sculls. "Ninety-nine per cent of what I feel is pride and joy for him but then there's that one per cent", she said. "The other day we went past the Olympic stadium on the train and my eyes started watering. I've poured everything into getting to the Olympics and now it's not going to happen.

-Emily Dugan

Source: www.independent.co.uk

For an event being hyped by organizers as the world’s “first social media Olympics,” the summer 2012 games in London have some pretty antisocial policies.

Athletes will not be allowed to tweet photos of themselves with products that aren’t official Olympics sponsors or share photos or videos from inside the athletes’ village.

Fans, too, could be barred from sharing on Facebook and YouTube photos and videos of themselves enjoying the action.

Business owners will have restrictions as well. They won’t be able to lure customers by advertising with official Olympics nomenclature such as “2012 Games.” Regulators will scour Olympic venues to potentially obfuscate non-sponsor logos on objects as trivial as toilets.

The imminent crackdown is largely the result of a pair of stringent brand-protecting acts passed in the United Kingdom in preparation for the games, as detailed in this recent Guardian report. The pieces of legislation are 2006′s London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act and 1995′s Olympic Symbol (Protection) Act.

Breaking the big-brother rules will be a criminal offense.

Paul Jordan is a partner and marketing specialist at a law firm that is helping official Olympics sponsors and non-sponsoring businesses comply with the laws.

“On a very literal reading of the terms and conditions, there’s certainly an argument that the IOC could run that you wouldn’t be able to post pictures to Facebook,” he tells The Guardian.

“I think what they are trying to avoid is any formal commercial exploitation of those images, but that’s not what it says. And for that reason, it would appear that if you or I attended an event, we could only share our photos with our aunties around the kitchen table. Which seems a bizarre consequence.”

UPDATE: We heard back from Alex Huot, the IOC’s head of social media, for more details on how these rules fit into the upcoming Olympics.

He says the guidelines for athletes are not specifically linked to social media, but that social media has changed the nature of marketing and sponsorship to more of a two-way conversation.

“The basic guidelines for athletes come from the IOC, but we work together with all of our stakeholders,” Huot wrote in an email. “We encourage athletes to share their Games experience. The Olympic Athletes’ Hub has been in part built for this. We have created a place for them to join and connect with our millions of fans around the world and to share not just during the Olympics but long after the Olympics are gone.”

He also says, “athletes are allowed to tweet what they eat — what is not allowed is any form of commercial promotion.” The question that will be hard for athletes and the IOC to answer, it seems, is when eating or drinking something from a branded package becomes a promotion.

-Sam Laird

Source: www.mashable.com

Two Australian swimmers are in hot water with their country’s Olympic committee — for posing with guns for a photo they posted to Facebook and Twitter.

Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk shared the photo above on their social media profiles, according to multiple reports. The photo has since been deleted from their accounts, but is still floating about the web.

D’Arcy and Monk were visiting an American gun store when they snapped the shot.

The Australian Olympic Committee was quick to condemn the photo, calling it “foolish and clearly inappropriate for members of the 2012 Australian Olympic Team.”

“We say again to our athletes, do not put anything up on social media that you would not share with your mother or your grandmother,” Nick Green, the Australian Olympic team’s head man, said.

“There is no such thing as privacy on social media. Anything that is put up will be in the public domain.”

The photo may have been particularly sensitive in Australia because of a 1996 massacre in which a lone gunman killed 35 people and wounded 21 more at a popular tourist destination.

“It was all just meant to be a bit of fun, the photos were just a bit of fun,” D’Arcy told the Associated Press. “If anyone’s been offended I deeply apologize. It was never the intent, it was never supposed to be offensive.”

The photo flap isn’t the first time D’Arcy and Monk have found themselves in trouble.

D’Arcy plead guilty in 2009 for assaulting a fellow swimmer in a Sydney bar. Monk nearly didn’t qualify for Australian’s 2012 Olympic team after fracturing his elbow in a skateboarding accident. He tried to cover up the accident by saying he was the victim of a hit-and-run while bicycling.

Social media is expected to pay a central role — for better and worse — at this summer’s games in London. Two-time gold medalist swimmer Rebecca Adlington said recently that she’ll take a Twitter timeout during the Olympics because of trolls who use the network to make vile comments about her looks.

Hurdler Lolo Jones, meanwhile, has become a Twitter megastar for her humor on the network and public pledge to abstain from sex until marriage.

The International Olympic Committee has introduced a number of initiatives — including an Olympic Athletes’ Hub — to promote social media engagement during the games, but some are skeptical about a stringent set of guidelines for social media use by athletes and fans.

-Sam Laird

Source: www.mashable.com

It's just 50 days to go to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, on Friday 27 July.

The Queen's Jubilee showed again how brilliant we are at celebrating in the UK. So what will you be doing when the Games kick off? Thousands of people have already started planning their 'Opening Night In'.

Click on image.

Source: www.london2012.com

June 8 - Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has been officially confirmed as the new chairman of the Olympic Solidarity Commission.

The Kuwaiti replaces Mario Vázquez Raña, who had been in charge of the programme since it was set-up in 1981.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) programme distributes nearly $400 million (£230 million/€310 million) of income raised from television rights to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) around the world, mostly in countries that need it most.

Sheikh Ahmad's elevation as head of the 15-person Commission follows him taking over from Vázquez Raña as President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) after a bitter power struggle.

Sheikh Ahmad, the 48-year-old former head of OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), has promised to make ANOC a more transparent organisation.

"We have much work to do," he told insidethegames.

"My election in Moscow [in April] was only the beginning."

Among Sheikh Ahmad's early priorities are finding a new headquarters for ANOC in Lausanne and establishing stronger relationships with the international federations.

"There are lots of changes that are needed in the constitution," he said.

"Lots of articles that need to be changed.

"We have to work under the Olympic Charter and ensure better cooperation."

-Duncan Mackay

Source: www.insidethegames.biz

6th June 2012

Dear Athletes and Officials

I know you must be getting as excited as I am with only 51 days to go the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee has arranged a Pre Games Training Camp in Cardiff Wales, UK from the 13th July to the 25th July.

www.visitcardiff.com

Travel

The Team will travel from Trinidad and Tobago from the 12th July leaving at 6.40 p.m.  

All Athletes not based in Trinidad who are scheduled to join the camp are expected to arrive in the UK on the 13th July.  We then all meet and travel to Wales by 11.00 a.m. in the morning.

The journey to Wales with a stop will take approximately 3 hours by Coach through the beautiful English countryside (flashing past on the motorway).

Please let your Manager know your tentative travel plans (selection is still to be finalized).  You can also let us know at the TTOC via Roberto or the General Manager Ms Ramberansingh.

We depart Wales for the Olympic Village on two dates - the 20th July for the athletes participating in the early events, and on the 25th July for the second group.

Accommodation

The Vale Hotel is a luxury hotel 15 minutes outside of Cardiff.
www.vale-hotel.com/

The stadium and training facilities for all sports are just 15 minutes away from the Hotel into Cardiff. The hotel has a well equipped Gym, swimming pool and a number of other facilities   It is used by all the top Football Clubs in the UK when they travel to Cardiff and also by the Welsh Rugby team as their training centre.



Training

The normal training hours prevail and in your spare time Cardiff offers very good shopping, expensive yes. There are also a number of interesting sightseeing activities for you to enjoy in Cardiff.


Activities

Two main events are happening while we are in Cardiff .  On the 18th July there is an Athletics Meet at the Stadium.  On the 19th July there is a civic reception by the First Minister of Wales.  

We will be sharing this city for Pre Games training with Botswana, New Zealand Athletics and a number of other individual sports from other Countries.

Uniforms for the Games will be distributed at the Camp in Cardiff so please ensure that all your measurements have been submitted, including the Parade wear  measurements.

We look forward to you all joining us at the camp as it is a wonderful opportunity for us to build team T & T. When we arrive at the Village for the Games we will be unstoppable.

I wish you all the best in your upcoming events and your training regimes.

London 2012 awaits us all!

Best wishes and God’s Blessings

Annette Knott
Chef de Mission
annetteknott@hotmail.com
rmarquez@ttoc.org
aramberansingh@ttoc.org

T&T’s lone boxing representative at the upcoming 2012 London Olympics, Carlos Suarez, along with one of the country’s most seasoned fighters, Andrew Fermin, have received funding by the Ministry of Sport through its Elite Athlete Assistance Programme (EAAP). US-born light flyweight- Suarez and Fermin a light heavyweight represented T&T at the recently staged Olympic qualifiers in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, with only the former sealing bronze and a place at the London 2012 competition.
The cheques valued at $75,000 each were presented  by the T&T Boxing Board of Control (T&TBBC) President Annabelle Davis, when the board celebrated the recent achievement of Suarez’’ qualification, at the Ministry of Sport Head Office, Abercromby St, Port of Spain.

Suarez will be the first boxer to represent T&T at the Olympics since Kirt Sinette in 1996. he was not present but was represented by coach Reynold Cox. Fermin, the most senior elite boxing athlete for 2012 boasts an amateur record at 150 bouts. He is ranked at number 75 athlete  in the World by the AIBA and stood at number 10 in the Pan American region 2009.
Fermin is also a member of the T&T Defence Force and has ten National Championships, two CAC silver medals and two Caribbean Championships under his belt. The cheques issued are financial assistance granted to outstanding athletes, in support of nationals who have attained the qualifying international ranking determined by the T&T Olympic Committee.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

National record holders Semoy Hackett and Wayne Davis are among 18 local athletes who will compete in the 2012 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, USA beginning later today and ending on Saturday. Hackett, who sped to a national women’s 200m record of 22.55 in taking second place at the NCAA East Regionals in Florida on May 26, will contest the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m events for her Louisiana State University team. The Bishops High graduate is making her second trip to the NCAA Division 1 finals and will be aiming to improve on her 6th place finish in the 200m finals in last year. The 2009 World Championships 100m semifinalist will also be looking to match her success at the Division 2 championships where she struck double gold in the 100m and 200m in 2009 and 2010 whilst a student of Lincoln University before transferring to LSU. Standing in her way is her school mate Kimberlyn Duncan who has the quickest times in both sprints of 10.94w and 22.22 respectively. Hackett is at number sixth in the 100m with her pb of 11.10 and is the second fastest in the half lap (22.55).

Kai Selvon will also contest the 100m, 200m and 4x100m for Auburn University. Hackett is tipped to finish fifth in the 100m and second in the 200m, according to the latest NCAA Form Chart predictions. Davis (Texas A&M) is among the starters in the men’s 100m hurdles and is the third fastest in the field with his national record run of 13.37 at the Big 12 Championships on May 11. Davis was sixth in last year’s finals and has been picked for fifth spot. The 2007 World Youth Champion competed for the USA until he began running for T&T earlier this year. Durrel Busby (Wisconsin-Milwaukee) is also among the starters. Reigning double bronze medallist Annie Alexander (Tennessee), Shawn Fermin (Washington State), T’Keyah Dumoy (Florida International), Hilenn James (Georgia) and Ashlee Smith (McNeese) are the other T&T women competing while Deon Lendore (Texas A&M), Zwede Hewitt (Baylor), the LSU trio of Kyron Blaise, Shermund Allsop and Ade Alleyne-Forte, Durrel Busby (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Emmanuel Mayers (Mississippi State), Emmanuel Stewart (Morgan State), Richard Collingwood (Southern Mississippi) and Jamol James (Tennessee) will be the local men in action. James will also contest the shot put while Smith is scheduled to do battle in the discus. Fermin will in line up in the women’s 400m and will be part of Washington State’s 4x100m line up. Dumoy will also contest the 4x100m event.

-Clayton Clarke

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Table tennis looks easy right? Well, looks can be deceiving. I went into the Patna River Estate Community Centre, Diego Martin, on Sunday thinking the sport would be a piece of cake. After all, how hard could it really be to hit a ball across a table? Table tennis guru Joseph Mansano proved me wrong. Mansano, 73, has been playing the engaging sport for the past 50 years (35 competitively), and he had no intentions of going easy on me—even though I’m a girl. First of all, he pointed out that I was holding the racquet the wrong way. I never knew there was a particular way to hold it and so I held it the way I’ve always held a racquet whenever I played table tennis for fun. Mansano, a member and former third vice president of the Table Tennis Association (T&TTA), who now heads his own club called the Tarantulas Table Tennis Club, explains there are two main ways to hold the racquet—the shakehand grip and the penhold grip. The shakehand grip is the most versatile and universally used of all grips. He recommended I use this method as it’s the easiest when learning table tennis. To use this grip, I had to fit the edge of the blade snugly in my hand between my thumb and forefinger while gripping the handle with my middle, ring, and little fingers. Then I had to place my forefinger flat on one side of the racquet with my thumb sideways on the other side of the racquet head. “It is important not to grip too tightly,” Mansano explained.  “Do not let the wrist flop back and forth or up and down as you stroke the ball, either. It will cause you to miss the ball.” Mansano, who played the sport in England for 17 years, says the penhold grip is used by those who are comfortable with the sport. As the name implies, this grip is similar to holding a pen for writing. The thumb and index finger hold on to the racquet handle, while the other three fingers curl around the back of the racquet. Mansano says the easiest way to get the ball back to one’s opponent is to block or chop the ball. “This is because it’s difficult to retrieve the ball because of the speed it is travelling at.” My only complaint is that I think the ball did not like my racquet. I found myself running for the white four-millimetre ball more times than I would have liked. Mansano’s friends, all in his age group, seemed to take pleasure in repeatedly telling and showing me what I was doing wrong. “You have to hit the ball so. Look at me,” said Carlthus David, 79, as he took the racquet from my hand and proudly showed me how. His 80-year-old partner and fellow table- tennis player chimed in, “Doh worry, yuh will get it, eventually.”
I did.

Maximum respect
Finally, I got the hang of it. I began to relax and enjoy the session with Mansano. Table tennis is fun and while it’s not as physical or challenging as other sports, it will make you build up a sweat. And if you do it often enough, Mansano says your body will see the results. The pain in my right shoulder proves him right. Table tennis requires a lot of concentration and discipline. Mansano says it also strengthens the biceps and triceps muscles and improves one’s sight, concentration and self-control. “You have to concentrate on the ball that travels anywhere between 40-60 miles an hour, so you need to follow that ball, and you’ll find over time that your reflexes and sight are improved. This sport also gives you the ability to focus on the positives instead of the negatives in life, because the training involves no smoking, no alcohol, very little liming and plenty of rest,” he noted. “You cannot get vex. Getting vex is out of it. You have to have maximum respect for your coach and players...One of the things I have found is that you form close bonds and friendships through table tennis.” Mansano says table tennis is also a unique sport and one can start learning from as early as five.
“You can go well into your 80s playing this sport,” he said.

Good condition
Mansano says table-tennis training is rigid. It’s the main reason he believes not a lot of women are drawn to the sport. “Are you saying that women can’t handle rigid sports?” I asked, bluntly. “Well, it has been my experience that women don’t like the training involved in table tennis. They find it is too difficult. You can’t just run in to play.” Before playing table tennis competitively, Mansano says one has to undergo a physical and fitness programme. He encourages players to eat a balanced diet and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight, he notes, is a no-no. “You cannot be fat. You have to become fit before you can play. This is a sport that needs you to be in good condition.” Up to the 1980s, Mansano says, table tennis was a household sport. These days, the sport is losing its appeal. “The sport’s popularity declined after the 1990 insurrection. A lot of players stopped practice and many migrated. There was definitely a downturn in the number of the people playing.” Mansano hopes the sport will one day regain its place in T&T. He’s working assiduously to make that happen. Mansano founded the Carenage Blasters Table Tennis Club at the Carenage Regional Complex in 2000. It provides training for youths. Table tennis is an engaging sport. It reminded me somewhat of my zumba experience. Once you get the hang of it, you forget you’re even working out. In order to get the best out of your table-tennis experience, make sure you have a fun partner to play with. It will make the experience even more rewarding.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Trinidad and Tobago’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste will have the ultimate test on Saturday when the Women’s 100m final takes off at the adidas Grand Prix in New York, USA.

Baptiste, the World Championship bronze medallist, will line up against an elite field which includes current World champion and Olympic favourite Carmelita Jeter of the USA and reigning Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica among other top contenders.

Jeter boasts the fastest time for the year (10.81) followed by Baptiste (10.81) and American Allyson Felix (10.92) who is also in the race.

Baptiste has been the most consistent TT athlete on the European circuit for over a year and is expected to be among the medals for the Olympics.

The Tobagonian warmed-up with a 22.23 clocking to take the gold in the 200m event at the at the NTC Last Chance Meet in Florida on Saturday.

Also competing will be former First Citizens Sportswoman of the Year, Cleopatra Borel in the Women’s Shot Putt.

Borel will need to improve on her personal best of 18.69 to have a chance at a medal but with the Olympics nearing, will be hoping to just build form towards peaking in London.

Quarter-miler Renny Quow is also scheduled to compete in the Men’s 400m event which also features quadruple Olympic medallist Jeremy Wariner and reigning Olympic bronze medallist Bershawn Jackson also of the USA.

Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson, Aaron Armstrong and Keston Bledman are all slated to run in the Men’s 100m event but

all eyes will undoubtedly be on

the electric Tyson Gay of the USA.

-Stephon Nicholas

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee president Larry Romany said his organisation does not have the resources to highlight the achievements of the TTOC in the media. He said: “Most of you don’t know a lot of what the TTOC is doing because we don’t publish our accomplishments. The thing is in Trinidad and Tobago is costs money to use the media to publish anything that you want to publish and the TTOC is very athlete-centric.” Speaking at breakfast in honour of World Championships bronze medallist Renny Quow hosting by Tobago House and Assembly and BPTT at the Magdalena Grand Hotel in Lowlands last Friday,  Romany added that the TTOC can’t get involving in promoting the athletes using the word “Olympic” or making direct reference to the Olympic Games. He further said that local Olympic body respects the privacy of athletes. “One of the things that you may not know is that the TTOC gives out athletic scholarships from the IOC,” said Romany.


“It is not something we would make known to the public because we don’t like the media involved in athletes personal affairs, especially where finances are concerned.” Romany said the TTOC had a special interest in Quow since he began competing. He said: “We had no hesitation in nominating Renny for the (BPTT) programme. We felt he epitomises exactly what an athlete should represent.  “The most important quality that Renny has is humility and is something others can learn from him. He is a very humble individual and we like that and he can pass that one to young people.” “Since I have been president of the TTOC, he said, Tobago has made significant strides incoming to the fore with their athletic performances. Renny has led that charge and has done extremely well for the last four years.”  Romany said the TTOC was working to ensure T&T’s athletes are ready for the Olympics. He said: “The TTOC is committed to ensuring that athletes are educated properly and prepared for the Olympic Games. We work assiduously with all of the authorities to ensure that they get what they need.”

-Clayton Clarke

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

George Bovell III picked up his second bronze in three days when he competed in the men’s 100m backstroke final on the closing night of the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invitational Swim Meet in Austin on Sunday. In the final, Bovell III, 28, touched the wall in 56.06 seconds to trail winner Matt Thompson (55.88 secs) and Patrick Murphy (56.01) home at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Centre. This, after the T&T Olympic bronze medal winner led most of the way before fading in the end. Other finishers in the final were Kip Darmody (56.08), Chris Brady (56.65), Cole Cragin (57.09), Sam Tierney (57.16) and Kevin Doak (58.21). Commenting on his race, the T&T swimmer said, “I went out very fast in the fist half and paid for it when my legs ran out of gas, so to speak.”

“This is exactly why I am doing this race, a great training exercise for the 50m freestyle. Its a good time, just shy of my best, so I’m pleased,” ended Bovell. Earlier on Sunday in the heats, Bovell III qualified as the second fastest in 56.71, behind Thompson’s, 56.20. Murphy was next fastest in 56.80 followed by Cragin (57.65), Tierney (57.90), Brady (58.01), Darmody (58.40) and Doak (58.58).
On Saturday, Bovell III won gold in the 50m freestyle in 22.11 seconds, to beat 100m freestyle champion Jimmy Feigen (22.21) and Brady (22.78) into second and third respectively after he was the top qualifier in the heats in 22.46. A day earlier Bovell (49.84) was beaten into third spot in the 100m freestyle final by Feigen (48.63) and Michael Phelps (49.05). Bovell, who returned to his Ann Arbor Michigan training base at the University of Michigan will next compete at the Canada Cup in Montreal at the end of June as he continues his preparations for the next month’s London Olympic Games, his fourth.

-Nigel Simon

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

What local sport, national sport organisations, the TTOC, local sportsmen and women—young, old, abled and disabled need are genuine friends who are free from, hypocrisy, pretense or corruption? Not high handed or irrational friends either.
Local sport cannot, must not, lose its bottle in the quest for legitimacy and relevance. Bottle is used here to mean courage for those of you not familiar with the use of the word in a sport context. Sport administrators must not lose their bottle, never be afraid to ask and always be prepared to answer. Don’t be like those who are happy to ask questions and never prepared to answer a question. Have no regrets because if you don’t try, you have no chance in succeeding; but there is no way you can get it right every time. Don’t lose your bottle or lack bottle under pressure. There are those who will say “let the dead bury the dead” in an effort to be a law unto oneself. The dice may appear loaded against those who adhere to values and principles such as fair play, honesty, tolerance and excellence.

In such a sea of lip service, sport is merely collateral damage. Those who live off the fat of the land must be avoided like the plague. Sport can be a catalyst for social and economic change but this can only happen if there is sincerity of purpose; not merely window dressing or a photo opportunity. Let’s not lose our bottle and be seduced by short term gain in the process sacrificing the welfare and opportunity for the future generations. Let’s not lose our bottle and run and cower when confronted by those who will malign and spread vicious gossip and untruths. If it is wrong, say it is wrong. Even if we win ten gold medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games and during that period 20 of our sons and daughters die by the bullet what have we won?
Sport mirrors life and life mirrors sport. Olympic success is only window dressing if all else is failing. Leadership ought to have one primary outcome—to look after the welfare of the group.

It’s about having a duty of care for people.  Leaders must show they care, and that they care about helping people in every aspect of their life. In sport it can mean helping young men and women, youths and children to be the best they possibly can, but as important is helping them be the best person they possibly can even if it means offering them second, third, and fourth chances. There can be no Olympics without Olympism, Olympic values and spirit. If we sold our soul for fame and glory is it not fool’s gold? All may not be lost but there is a sense that time is running out for this generation and possibly the next. If leaders paid close attention they would discover the majority of young people are ambitious, like to learn and like to communicate. They want to learn, to be educated and to improve. Those in charge ought to have a sense and appreciation that they have a duty of care. It is about people. Treat them as human beings. What are we doing to the young people of this nation? What values, lessons in integrity and principles are we teaching them?  How can there be integrity in sport if we conduct our everyday lives without integrity and ethics? Some of you only want the medals without making a positive difference. Interested in ethics in sport, Olympism, sport management, governance, sport marketing, financial management, strategic planning and leadership?

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

T&T’s Christian Homer placed 35th in the men’s 100m backstroke after he clocked 59.67 at the 45th Santa Clara International Invitational Swim at the George F Haines International Swim Centre, Santa Clara, Northern California, yesterday. On Saturday, he was second in his men’s 50m freestyle heat three of 11  with a time of 24.55 seconds to trail Joseph Natina home while Alan Winder was third in 24.84.


However, the times of the top three swimmers in the heat were only good for 33rd, 57th and 69th overall respectively. On Friday, Homer ended in eighth spot from nine swimmers in his men’s 100m butterfly heat in a time of 56.41 seconds for 31st spot which was faster than his 58.31 at the Charlotte Ultra Swim last month to finish ahead of Brett Fraser (57.28)

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

T&T’s George Bovell III went two places better than his 100m freestyle performance, splashing to the gold medal in the men’s 50m freestyle at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invitational Swim Meet on Saturday night. Competing at the final event on the night’s programme at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Centre, the 28-year-old raced home in 22.11 seconds, ahead of NCAA 100m freestyle champion, Jimmy Feigen (22.21) and Chris Brady (22.78). Bovell described the win as huge. “I didn’t feel fast this morning so I am happy with the way I turned everything around mentally.” Bovell explained the race was not a straight forward one as he was twice thrown off by the starter. “The starter called us back from the take your marks position and I almost dove in.  Then the second time, I had just exhaled all my air and was not able to take a full breath in time.


“Normally I don’t breathe for the duration of the lap. This also caused me to rush the start and because of that I wasn't as explosive. Despite that it was a fast time and I am grateful for the learning experience and the exercise in pressure taking.  When it comes to the Olympics you must be good enough even on a bad day,” he ended. The other finishers in the 50m freestyle A-final were Garrett Weber-Gale (22.90), Bobby Savulich (23.17), Kevin Frankenfeld (23.35), Charlie Moore (23.52) and Madison Wenzler (23.73). In the heats, Bovell (49.84) who was beaten into third spot in Friday’s 100m freestyle final by Feigen (48.63) and Michael Phelps (49.05) was the fastest qualifier in  22.46. Last night, Bovell III, went after his third medal when he lined up in the 100m backstroke. He qualified as the second fastest in 56.71, well behind Matt Thompson’s, 56.20.


Reflecting on his 100m backstroke event, Bovell said it was a solid effort but he will need to put out more energy and swim smarter if he is to win gold. “I came in a little flat this morning (yesterday), feeling the effects of four sessions of back-to-back racing so hopefully I can find the energy for something special tonight (last night).” Bovell warned that a personal best time was possible if he held back on his kick a bit in the beginning to save some gas for the home stretch. He said he was very pleased with his performances so far, since the technical changes he made are now bearing fruit. Also in the 100m backstroke final were Patrick Murphy (56.80), Cole Cragin (57.65), Sam Tierney (57.90), Brady (58.01), Kip Darmody (58.40) and Kevin Doak (58.58).

-Nigel Simon

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Trinidad and Tobago's ruggermen crashed out of World Cup 2015 qualifying yesterday when they were whipped 20-0 by Guyana.

At Guyana's National Stadium in Providence, T&T went behind 7-0 by half-time after Theodore Henry scored the opening try, which was converted by Guyanese skipper Ryan Gonsalves

Claudius Butts scored another in the second half, also converted by Gonsalves, before the Guyana captain added two penalties to ensure the comfortable win.

Trinidad and Tobago missed three penalties during the encounter, including two from Justin McLean and one from skipper Jonathan O'Connor.

After the match, T&T Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) president Leslie Figaro said the shutout away to Guyana—their second defeat to those opponent in consecutive years—was a "bitter pill to swallow", but congratulated Guyana for "coming up trumps" to move on in the competition.

It is also the second T&T team to be ousted from World Cup qualifying by Guyana in a matter of months, after the "Soca Warriors" went down to the "Golden Jaguars" in the first round of football qualifying last November.

"It's not a good feeling for us right now," Figaro added, "but we will pick ourselves up from this and go back to the drawing board.

"There is the Rugby World Cup 2013 Sevens qualifier in Canada in August and we have to continue preparing for that. There is no time to drown in self pity."

The result means Guyana will move on to the Caribbean final in September, when they will play the winner of the North Caribbean playoffs. Next week's clash between Bermuda and Bahamas will decide the other team in that final. Cayman Islands are the other team in that group.

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

Keshorn Walcott, the new Pan American junior (under-20) record holder in the javelin, will be on centre-stage at the National Junior Track and Field Championships, this weekend.

Walcott produced an 80.11 metres effort to strike gold at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) centennial anniversary meet, in Havana, Cuba, on Sunday, the monster throw earning him the Pan Am junior record and 15th spot on the all-time world under-20 performance list.

The Toco field athlete is also the Trinidad and Tobago junior and senior, Central American and Caribbean (CAC) junior and North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) junior record holder.

This weekend's Championships will be staged at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain and Walcott will be on show in the boys' under-20 javelin, scheduled for two p.m. on Sunday.

In April, at the 2012 Carifta Games in Bermuda, Walcott completed a hat-trick of boys' under-20 javelin victories. On Sunday, he will do battle with the athletes who earned silver and bronze in Bermuda, Barbadians Nicolai Bovelle and Janeil Craigg.

Walcott was one of six T&T gold medallists at Carifta 2012. The other five will also compete at the National Junior Championships.

Girls' under-17 shot put champion Chelsea James is listed for action in the girls' under-18 shot put and discus events. Boys' under-17 discus gold medallist Kenejah Williams will bid for honours in the boys' under-18 shot put and discus. Boys' under-17 long jump winner Andwuelle Wright competes in the boys' under-18 long jump.

Mark London, who grabbed Carifta gold in the boys' under-20 800 metres, is the favourite this weekend in both the boys' under-20 800m and 1500m events.

And Jonathan Farinha is hoping to add the national boys' under-18 200m crown to the under-17 200m title he earned in Bermuda. Farinha has been drawn in the third of nine first round heats. In the championship race, he is expected to square off against Machel Cedenio in what promises to be a half-lap classic.

Cedenio is tipped for gold in the under-18 400m.

World Indoor Championship men's 4x400m bronze medallist, Jereem Richards will also be on show this weekend. He will see action in the boys' under-20 200m and 400m events.

And Kernesha Spann will bid for the girls' under-20 400m/400m hurdles double.

Many of the athletes competing this weekend will be eyeing selection for the June 29-July 1 CAC Junior Championships in San Salvador, El Salvador and the July 10-15 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain.

Action at the Crawford Stadium starts at nine a.m. tomorrow and Sunday.

-Kwame Laurence

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com

World Junior champion Jehue Gordon was beaten into fourth place in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Rome League of the IAAF Diamond League yesterday.
Gordon crossed the line in 49.55, behind Javier Culson of Puerto Rico who sped to victory in 48.14 to record his second win of the season, following his victory at the Ponce Grand Prix in Puerto Rico on May 12.
Former World champion Bershawn Jackson of the USA was second in 48.25 with South African Cornel Fredricks taking the bronze in 49.21, to deny Gordon a top three finish.
The 20-year-old Gordon, has already attained the Olympic A standard of 49.50 dipping under the mark several time with his best clocking 48.66 in Berlin, Germany last September.
His best time of the year is 48.89 which he set when finishing second at the Ponce Grand Prix behind Culson. The 2010 World junior gold medallist is the national record holder with 48.26 which he set in taking fourth in the 2009 World Athletic Championships in Berlin Germany as a 17-year-old.

Results

Men’s 400m Hurdles
1 Javier Culson Puerto Rico 48.14
2 Bershawn Jackson USA 48.25
3 Cornel Fredricks South Africa 49.21
4 Jehue Gordon T&T 49.55
5 Nathan Woodward GBR 49.64
5 Osmar Cisnero CUB 49.79
6 Reynaldo Benscombe ITA 50.16
7 LJ Van Zyl South Africa 50.33
8 Felix Sanchez Dom Rep 1:18:90

Source: www.guardian.co.tt

ROME— World record-holder Usain Bolt put his poor performance in the Czech Republic behind him with a new season’s best of 9.76 seconds in the 100-metre race at the Golden Gala yesterday. Bolt ran a relatively slow 10.04 in Ostrava last week, raising questions about his Olympic preparations. His previous season best of 9.82 was set at home in Jamaica this month. “My drive was better and I started well,” Bolt said. “The transition was also better. After Ostrava a lot of people questioned me, but I never questioned myself.” While his start in Rome still wasn’t exceptional, Bolt quickly pulled in front and broke the previous meet record of 9.77 set by Tyson Gay three years ago.

Former world record-holder Asafa Powell crossed second in 9.91 and European champion Christophe Lemaitre was third in 10.04. There was virtually no wind. Bolt attributed his problems in Ostrava to fatigue for his first race of the season in Europe. This time, he appeared energised even two hours before his race, when he warmed up the crowd with a lap around the track on a golf cart, wearing the shirt of Italy’s football team as he danced and posed for the cameras. When he came back out to run, Bolt chatted with the race worker behind his lane before he stepped into the starting blocks. After the race, he grabbed an Italian flag as he celebrated with another lap around the track that hosted the 1960 Olympics. “Since I arrived in Rome I made sure to be in bed early. So I got a lot of rest and slept a lot,” Bolt said. “In Ostrava I had not had enough sleep. The race was much better.”

This was the third Diamond League meet of the year but Bolt’s first. Bolt will also compete in a Diamond League meet in Oslo, Norway, next week before returning to Jamaica for national trials. He then plans to return to Europe for a 200 in Monaco on July 20, his last race before the London Games start a week later. In other events on a comfortable evening at Stadio Olimpico, Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce settled for second in the women’s 100 behind Ivory Coast winner Murielle Ahoure, who timed 11.00. There was nearly a world record in the 3,000 steeplechase, with Kenya’s Paul Kpisiele Koech clocking 7:54.31 for the third-fastest time ever. With Saif Saaeed Shaheen’s 2004 world record of 7:53.63 seemingly in reach, Koech accelerated on the final straight but came up just short. “I think I am capable now of running the world record,” Koech said. “I really did what I was able to do.”

With world champion Dai Greene a late withdrawal due to illness, Javier Culson of Puerto Rico won the 400 hurdles in 48.14, with Olympic bronze medalist Bershawn Jackson of the United States second in 48.25. Felix Sanchez, the 2004 Olympic champion, had a muscle problem about 30 meters from the line. The Dominican Republic athlete stopped running suddenly and fell down to the track chest first. He came up with a slight limp in his step.
“I felt a little tightening in my calf,” Sanchez said. “But this is nothing serious.” There was a surprise winner in the women’s 800, with 19-year-old Fantu Megiso clocking an Ethiopian record of 1:57.56—the second-fastest time in the world this year. Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo crossed second and world champ Mariya Savinova was third, while 2009 world champ Caster Semenya settled for eighth. (AP)

Source: www.guardian.co.tt