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

Miller Elwin grew up on Mota Lava Island, one of the most northerly in the archipelago which forms the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Her island had one truck and two telephones. When she was 17, Elwin, already an accomplished beach volleyball player, left her homeland for Vanuatu's capital of Port Vila in order to further her career.

It was the first stage of a journey which Elwin dearly hopes will conclude with an appearance at the Olympic Games - a journey which she is now making in partnership with Henriette Iatika, three years her senior, with whom she recently finished ninth in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Championship. That journey, however, will come to an abrupt end next year if no extra sponsorship can be found, the team's head coach, Lauren McLeod, has told insidethegames, and her concerns have been echoed by Debbie Masauvakalo, President of Vanuatu Beach Volleyball.

In 2008, a year after they had started playing together, Elwin and Iatika won a historic gold at the Oceania Championships, beating the defending champions, Tahiti, in three sets. The Oceania women's title had always been shared previously between Australia, New Zealand or Tahiti. It was also the first time that Vanuatu had won an Oceania title in any sport.

After escalating successes, the high point of their career together so far came in July when they became the first pair from Vanuatu to take part in the FIVB World Championship, which took place this year in Mazury, Poland.

They finished second in their pool behind eventual bronze medallists Liliane Maestrini and Bárbara Seixas of Brazil, then gave the Chinese first seeds and soon-to-be world champions Xue Chen and Zhang Xi a fright in the first set of their second knockout round match. The Vanuatu pairing eventually finished a hugely creditable ninth.

Named Pacific Sports Team of the Year by the Pacific Games Council for the past two years, the pair earned the highest honour given by their country when they were awarded the Badge of Distinction by the President of Vanuatu, Iolu Abil, at this year's Independence celebration.

Now, naturally, their gaze is turning to the peak which rises beyond the World Championship - that of the Rio 2016 Olympics. But reaching that summit will be far from easy, and involves more than their prowess on the playing court.

Vanuatu's beach volleyball team had its start back in 2004 with the arrival of Masauvakalo as an Australian Youth Ambassador, who began to build up a playing programme.

"Towards the end of 2006 the very first national beach volleyball championship were held," Masauvakalo told insidethegames. "A national squad was selected and in 2007 Miller Elwin and Henriette played their first international event together, winning silver at the 2007 Oceania Championship in Samoa.

"The team returned to the 2008 Oceanic Championship and won the gold medal.

"In 2009, the team secured funding from the IOC [International Olympic Committee] to allow them to pursue the world ranking they needed in order to qualify in the Olympics. The programme's funding provided them with the resources to pay for a coach and Lauren McLeod entered the scene."

McLeod, a former Australian player, now guides a squad which is made up of four young mothers under the age of 25 - Elwin, Iatika, Joyce Joshua and Linline Mansale. In the words of the team's official website: "Playing beach volleyball at an international level has given these girls the opportunity to become educated, up-skilled and to support their families."

Masauvakalo added: "Since 2009, these four girls from Vanuatu have assembled an impressive winning record for themselves. In 2009, they won against Indonesia, Thailand and Australia in the FIVB World Tour-the first time ever that a South Pacific team has won a game on the World Tour. In 2010, they won the China Open Championships, taking home a gold medal."

The following year, after another win in the Pacific Games, Vanuatu took part in the Olympic test event at Horse Guards Parade, finishing ninth despite missing the injured Iatika, who was replaced by Mansale.

"Henriette needed to have a major knee operation and this was not available in Vanuatu," Masauvakalo explained. "A French doctor in New Caledonia kindly sponsored the operation, so Henriette had to go into hospital there, staying for nearly a month. She had 12 months' rehab and in this time couldn't play any volleyball.

"Her first event back after the knee operation was the Oceania Zonal Olympic Continental Cup in New Zealand, in February 2012, where, amazingly, Vanuatu (Miller and Iatika) beat Australia's number one ranked team - the same Australian team that went on to qualify in the top 16 for the London 2012 Olympic Games."

"Vanuatu was the smallest nation competing," McLeod commented after the Olympic test event in London. "The fact that Miller and Linline took China to three sets was most impressive. They are happy to keep climbing up the world rankings and make their country and the Pacific people proud."

Vicente Araujo, President of the FIVB Development Commission, commented: "The Vanuatu team are instant crowd favourites with their intense playing style and engaging personalities."

By 2011 the exploits of the Vanuatu team were beginning to make an impact at home. After the historic 2008 win in the Oceania Championship, Deb Wooster, of the Vanuatu Beach Volleyball Association said: "They come back and the kids see them as positive sports role models. They see that Miller and Henriette go overseas, they achieve success, so the kids look up to them and they have a dream to be like them."

The players' new-found status as high profile international sports performers has led to widespread media attention in the Pacific Islands community, including interviews for television, radio and the newspapers, building a profile both for themselves and their country.

But the achievements and excitements of competing around the world for eight months in every year have come with a heavy cost.

"I have sacrificed my life at home to become the best I can be," Iatika said. "I have two kids who stay on the island while I am away training and competing because I want to take part. I want to make my family and country proud of me and I want to show all the young people in Vanuatu what is possible if you try hard."

McLeod fully appreciates the serious measure of the demands being made upon four young mothers who are not able to take their children along with them to every tournament.

"It's been very challenging for them to have to leave their young families for such a long time, to be away from such a cosy culture with all their friends and family around them and turn into international athletes, doing interviews and competing at a world class level," she said.

"It has been very challenging for them trying to keep in touch with their children and partners, when their babies are sick, trying to manage situations through emails or Skype. None of them had email or Skype before this, so it has been one of the biggest things for them to come to terms with. Outside just playing their volleyball it has been really challenging.

"It has been very demanding, but very satisfying, to coach a team from a developing nation. We are trying to get them to be not just competitors but to turn them into mentors for young women in their country.

"We are hoping this is just the beginning and that beach volleyball can really be the number one sport in Vanuatu, for women especially because now they have someone to look up to."

As Masauvakalo confirms, such support is much needed. The women did not watch the London 2012 Olympics on television - because they don't have TVs.

She described the conditions of the team's homes as "very basic" adding: "They have an outside toilet and shower. Miller does not have power, they use a generator and she does not have running water either.

"Henriette lives in a small room with her family. The houses are mostly made out of tin iron. If you watch the IOC film made about the girls you will see the living circumstance. But they are happy. They do not have much but are happy with what they have."

That film, Masauvakalo proudly recalled, was one chosen by the Queen to go into her Silver Jubilee Time capsule. "Very cool!" she said.

McLeod believes further honours could lie ahead for the young women in her charge - but fears they may not have the chance to demonstrate their swiftly improving skills on a long-term basis.

"We hope these girls will become the first female superstars on their island, offering other young women dreams and goals outside traditional female roles," she said.

"Behind all the smiles there's a lot of fire. They don't care who they are up against.

"The funding from the IOC was what got it all started. It was a one-off payment to try and get the country into the World Tour and to move up the world rankings."

Since then the prospects, and ranking, of Vanuatu's women beach volleyball players have risen steadily. In 2009 their rating on the international volleyball federation (FIVB) Tour was 350. By 2011 - during which they finished ninth in the London 2012 Olympic test event at Horse Guards Parade - they were 74th, and a year later they had risen to 36th.

In 2012 Vanuatu won gold in the Korea Challenger event in Seoul, and in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) China Open.

The IOC Olympic Solidarity Team Grant may have accelerated the process of development for Vanuatu Beach Volleyball, but there was already a strong foundation for the sport - albeit a foundation based on sand.

The spectacular white-sand beaches which ring so many of Vanuatu's islands have long been the setting for outdoor volleyball, as Masauvakalo confirmed.

"Volleyball was first introduced to Vanuatu during World War II by the American forces stationed in the islands, and had a solid base from which to grow.

"Volleyball is the most popular sport in the outer islands, because it best suits the environment. It does not require much equipment, just a ball and net. And if that is not available just two coconut trees, a piece of rope and a ball woven out of palm leaves. Also not a lot of playing space is needed.

"Beach volleyball is a new sport in Vanuatu. Most people play outdoor volleyball in the villages and communities. However, beach volleyball is becoming more popular in communities that are close by the beaches.

Six-a-side volleyball is popular, but there is a lot of interest to learn how to play beach volleyball since it is only a new sport and a lot do not know the rules. "

Vanuatu gained National Olympic Committee status in 1987 and competed at the following year's Olympics in Seoul. To date, it has competed regularly at the Games, sending footballers, athletes, archers, judo and table tennis players.

But despite the surge of energy imparted by the IOC money, the Olympic dream has remained tantalisingly out of reach.

The South Pacific nation - which can only afford to run one of its two teams on the World tour - might have qualified for the London 2012 Games had they won the inaugural Continental Cup. But it could only manage second place.

McLeod - who has been travelling with the team within the last month to play in the FIVB World Tour event in China and Thailand before both teams play at the Asian Championships in Wuhan City - told insidethegames: "The team was devastated when we failed to qualify for London 2012, falling just short of our goal at the continental final. There were tears and a huge feeling of loss. The programme itself was unsure as to whether we would be able to continue."

The other method of Olympic selection, Masauvakalo explained, had been a non-starter - essentially because of a lack of funding.

"The team have to attend numerous competitions internationally [FIVB events], to gain enough world ranking points to even been considered as serious to qualify," she said.

"The FIVB World Tour is the first route to qualification for the Olympic Games but there is a proviso that 12 FIVB Tour events are entered and your team finishes within the top 16 ranked team.

"The Vanuatu team could only afford to play in eight required Olympic qualification events, in Brazil, China and Italy. As a result the girls were not able to earn enough world ranking points to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics through the World Tour.

"However, Vanuatu can proudly say that they had beaten several of the top teams including Australia, Czech Republic, Greece and Netherlands who were able to compete in all FIVB World Tour Events in order to qualify for the London Games."

So does Vanuatu currently have enough funds to play the minimum of 12 FIVB Olympic qualifying events to offer a route to Rio 2016?

"No," Masauvakalo replied. "We desperately need global sponsors and an airline partner or we will not qualify for Rio 2016. Airfares are 53 per cent of our budget. Each event, to send just one team costs us $10,000 (£6,250/€7,500).

"Our recent experience in Poland has shown that we can play against the best teams in the world and win.

"We have a support page on our web page that people can donate to help the girls get to events and we will shortly do a Indiegogo campaign to try and raise much needed funds.

"Unlike many other countries, Vanuatu does not have a funded national beach volleyball programme hence this small team of people find themselves pretty much on their own. To be able to travel and play in all the events required to qualify for the Olympics we needed to raise $200,000 (£125,000/€150,000).

"Of this amount, we raised half, mostly by organising fundraisers and with the help of a few private businesses and IOC Olympic Solidarity.

"We really need to get a major sponsor or an airline partner or we will not be able to continue with the programme. It is hard, as I am a volunteer and we all have other jobs to pay the bills.

"We really want to qualify for the Olympics as the girls have proven time and time over again that they are good enough on the playing field, but we just do not have the financial support to get to all the events we need to.

"It is certainly very heart breaking so we don't give up, hoping that one day someone will see how hard we have tried and how good we are and support our team all the way to Rio.

"It will not only change the girls' lives, but would be a huge sporting history achievement from a small country of 250,000 people against countries of billions."

McLeod added: "For the programme, as it stands we are unsustainable unfortunately. The programme is operating at a loss in its entirety. We have no salary staffing, I'm operating an elite programme based on minimal contact time with the athletes and everyone involved including coaching, management and athletes are making below minimum wage.

"At this stage we have been lucky to see the year out with the funding available to us.

"There is still the Olympic journey and dream ahead but it will stay a dream until the programme is able to find sufficient sustainable financial support. If things do not improve, then although it saddens me to say it, but I don't think there will be a Vanuatu national programme or international team representing the Pacific on tour next year.

"The flip side of this is we have been able to work hard enough and on the efforts of all involved we have pulled off some amazing results, our best coming this year at the World Championship.

"The last Olympic cycle was built on a hope and prayer and very hard work, so that we could prepare four athletes, all of whom are mothers, all of whom had previously spent very little time, if any, outside of their islands. And all in less than three years.

"The cultural adjustments and personal triumphs for each girl have been huge, and it is a real testament to their strength and drive how well they developed from shy island girls to international elite athletes.

"Leaving young children behind and stepping outside the tradition female role in the family to become athletes has made great demands on each of the girl's family partners and children.

"We set out with a goal for the programme to change the way women in Vanuatu are perceived back in 2009. Now looking back I feel like this has been one of our greatest achievements - for the first time ever there is a female sports team which is nationally renowned."

So can Vanuatu's beach volleyball talents make it to Rio?

If commitment from the players were enough, there would only be one answer. Elwin has summed it up: "This is our dream, this is our passion and this is our life right now."

Any takers?

Click here to support the team

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Princess Charlène of Monaco has been appointed as an ambassador for Peace and Sport, the charity which her husband Prince Albert is a Patron for.

Following the Peace and Sport award ceremony, Princess Charlène hosted a special dinner at the Sporting Monte Carlo which saw over 700 delegates witness the first lady officially become an ambassador of Peace and Sport.

Peace and Sport, or "L'Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport", is a neutral and apolitical organisation founded in 2007 by Joel Bouzou, a 1984 Olympic bronze medallist in the modern pentathlon.

Prior to her marriage to Prince Albert, Princess Charlène was a swimmer for the South African Olympic team.

She was a member of the South African women's 4x100 metres medley team that finished fifth at Sydney 2000.

In 2007 she regained her title as South Africa's 50m backstroke champion after coming third in the Telkom SA National Aquatic Championships in a time of 30.16sec.

She planned to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as her swansong but failed to qualify for the event.

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Saturday 9 November marks 1,000 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and to celebrate the milestone, Rio 2016 has launched the Olympic and Paralympic sport pictograms.

For the first time the group of pictograms features Rugby, with Rugby Sevens set to make its Olympic debut in 2016.

Since Tokyo 1964, each edition of the Games has depicted the sports on its programme through iconic graphic symbols that reflect the culture of the host nation, and Rio have taken that one step further.

Rio 2016 President, Carlos Nuzman, said: “For the first time, all Olympic and Paralympic sports are individually represented. This is one of our unique contributions to the history of the Games. I congratulate the creative team for their dedication and hard work together with diverse groups who contributed to this launch.

The pictograms allow people from all parts of the world to immediately identify sports and are used to guide and inform the public. For the first time now, Rugby Sevens is set to be a part of that in the build-up to the Rio Games.

IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset, said: "The creation of the pictograms for Rio 2016 is an exciting milestone in the journey to the Games, and seeing rugby alongside the other sports serves as a reminder for everyone in the Rugby family that we will be there on the greatest stage in three years.

Rio 2016’s Brand Director, Beth Lula, explained the importance of the pictograms. “From now until 2016, the pictograms will serve as a communication platform for the promotion of the sports, for partner activations, and will be present in all the Games’ visual identity, including their application in venue decoration, signposting, tickets and licensed products, among other things,” she said.

About the Rio 2016 pictograms

The word ‘pictogram’ comes from Greek and Latin, meaning ‘painted word’. This original meaning was the source of inspiration for the first strokes of the Rio 2016 pictograms, which were based on the official Rio 2016 typography. After researching each sport, the first outlines were made by hand. These strokes were then reconstructed on a computer, fitting the contours of the letters.

The athlete bodies and sports equipment were built from the characters, or part of them, in a continuous stroke, with variations in thickness in order to give the impression of depth. The pebble shapes, which are a characteristic of Rio 2016’s visual language, support the designs and alter their shape according to the athletes’ different movements.

During the creative process for the Paralympic pictograms, Rio 2016’s team of designers sought to portray the integration of the athletes’ different impairments with sport in a balanced, natural way, depicting prostheses, blindfolds and other elements.

Work was completed in 16 months, five of which were devoted to the validation of the pictograms by the 42 International Federations. In total, there are 64 pictograms, 41 Olympic and 23 Paralympic.

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The T&T Football Association (TTFA) yesterday apologised for a series of contradicting messages conveyed via several press releases pertaining to the contribution of funds derived from the sale of “I Support Akeem” T-shirts to the Heart of a Warrior Fund.

In another TTFA release sent yesterday, this time addressed from the office of the TTFA general secretary, Sheldon Phillips, following a meeting with the T-shirt produced, Native Spirit, the body acknowledged its error in the communication after originally stating that all proceeds from T-shirt sales will go to the Heart of a Warrior foundation.

A week ago, the TTFA disclosed the total funds which came from the sale of T-shirts as well as ticket sales for the Akeem Adams stands. The total was $72,300, of which $50,000 came from the sale of 2,000 T-shirts printed by Native Spirit. It was then that the TTFA stated that a quarter of T-shirt sales would be contributed to the fund, which the remaining $75 would go toward the production of the T-shirts by Native Spirit. The disclosure raised questions as the TTFA previously advertised the sale of the T-shirts stating that all proceeds would go toward a fund created for Adams, a 22-year-old former youth and senior T&T international defender, who, following a serious heart attack in Hungary last month, had the lower part of his left leg amputated.

The local football governing body also insisted, via the release that it never received any proceeds from the arrangement.

Phillips yesterday apologised while he acknowledged that the TTFA should have corrected its error from the onset.

“Firstly, the TTFA is sorry and would like to express its regret over any confusion caused by inconsistent communication regarding the amount of the sales price directed to the fund supporting Akeem.”

It continued, “In hindsight, a follow up release expressly stating the amount going to the fund from T-shirt sales should have been produced.”

“While the TTFA regrets the unintended miscommunication, it is important to state that based on third part confirmation of costs associated with the production of the shirts, the donation provided by the T-shirt sales was appropriate and we respectfully deny any claims of profiteering.”

Phillips said the cost of each shirt ($75) was due to its “exceptional quality.” “Instead of passing along an item of lesser quality, the TTFA sought to ensure our brand would adorn items of an excellent standard.”

The release concluded by saying it would be glad to answer any follow up questions at the next press conference, which is scheduled for Friday to discuss matters pertaining to T&T’s upcoming home and away friendly series against Jamaica, carded for November 15 and 19, in Montego Bay and Port-of-Spain, respectively.

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Trinidad and Tobago’s George Bovell III added another silver to his collection yesterday in the men’s 50m freestyle event at the FINA World Cup swim meet in Singapore yesterday, following up on his men’s 100m individual medley (IM) silver from Tuesday.
Bovell touched the time pad in 21.20, his fastest time to date in the eight-day series, behind his Russian arch rival Vladimir Morozov, who clocked a fast 20.78 .
Morozov and Bovell, who won silver and bronze respectively at the FINA World Long Course Swimming Championships in Barcelona back in August, have been the two most consistent freestyle sprinters in the world this year.
USA 2000 Sydney Olympic gold medallist Anthony Ervin claimed bronze in 21.26, while former world record holder, South African Ronald Schoeman was fourth in 21.36. Brazil’s Nicholas Santos (21.40), Poland’s Konrad Czerniak (21.47) Australia’s Tomasso D’Osorgna (21.59) and the Netherlands’ Jasper Mierlo (21.80) rounded out the final placings.
In the morning preliminaries, Bovell was the sixth fastest qualifier, winning heat five in 21.79. Finishing ahead of him were Morozov (21.03), the winner of heat six, Ervin (21.42) , three-time Olympian Schoeman (21.50), D’Osorgna (21.64) and Santos (21.70).
The FINA World Cup is a series of eight international short course (25m pool) meets held between August 7 and November 14. World Cups have already taken place in Eindhoven, Berlin, Moscow, Dubai, Doha and now Singapore. The series ends with the final World Cups in Tokyo, Japan (November 9-10) and Beijing, China (November 13-14).

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Good news has come the way of athletes and fans in this country as the three mega projects involving the construction of an Aquatic Centre, Cycling Centre and Tennis Centre currently underway in Couva and Tacarigua, are progressing well according to officials of the Sports Company of T&T (Sportt). Officials of Sportt, as well as from the ministry of finance recently toured the facilities and gave it the thumbs up. The touring party included senior officials of the Ministries of Sport, Planning & Sustainable Development and Finance & the Economy who got a first-hand look at how the multimillion dollar investments were being managed. Officials of the Ministry of Finance asked questions and were able to understand and translate the figures and reports into a relatable picture of work being undertaken.

According to Sportt consultant for the nationals Wilfred Fullerton: “The site visit was organised by us and deliberately so. We are keen to engage our stakeholders in the Ministries and provide as much information as we can about how these major projects are progressing. Allowing them to see the foundation for the magnificent structures helps them to concretise how it will impact on the citizens." Scheduled for completion by the end of 2014, the tennis centre in Tacarigua is reported to be ahead of time and within budget. The facility will feature indoor and outdoor courts as well as office space and other amenities for practice and tournaments. The cycling and aquatic centres in Couva, which were slightly delayed owing to change of site and levelling issues, is now proceeding apace and is expected to be complete by the end of 2015. These two facilities will be side by side, creating a hub of sport and recreational activity.

Further to its nationwide community initiative, through which individuals and groups benefit from enhanced recreation spaces, the Sportt will open two grounds in the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Corporation over the next two weeks. Both grounds have been upgraded to include new football/cricket outfields, 150-seater pavilions, cricket practice nets, jogging tracks and multipurpose hard courts. Meanwhile, Anil Roberts, Minister of Sport will be at the Phoenix Park Recreation Ground, Couva, today from 3 pm to handover the upgraded facility to the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation. The ground has been upgraded by the Sportt as part of its nationwide initiative to improve community level recreation facilities. Phoenix Park Recreation Ground now includes of a new football/cricket outfield, 150-seat pavilion with change rooms, cricket practice nets, walking/jogging track and multipurpose hard court. Minister Roberts will tour the completed works, perform a symbolic handing over to the Corporation, then participate in a football match between a Sports Company XI and a local team. Member of Parliament for Couva South, the Honourable Rudranath Indarsingh, is also expected to attend.

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Bovell back on World Cup podium in 100m IM

Trinidad and Tobago’s George Bovell won silver yesterday in the 100-metre individual medley event, and also finished fourth in the 50m breaststroke at the FINA World Cup swim meet, now taking place in Singapore.

The World Cups are a series of eight international short course (25m pool) swim meets held between August 7-November 14. World Cups have already taken place in Eindhoven, Berlin, Moscow, Dubai, Doha and now Singapore. The series ends with the final World Cups in Tokyo, Japan (November 9-10) and Beijing, China (November 13-14).

Bovell’s silver came when second in the 100m IM behind Russian Vladimir Morozov, who clocked 51.36 as he jumped out to a lead and never looked back.

Bovell trailed him with a second-place 51.75 as the top two sprint medley stars in the world thus far this year put on a show. Morozov (51.13) and Bovell (51.15) have both been much faster earlier this year on the circuit, but still had enough to both clear 52 seconds yet again. China’s Wang Shun cracked the top ten with a third-place 52.96.

That moved him to ninth in the world rankings this year. Australia’s Mitch Larkin (52.98), Australia’s Tommaso D’Orsogna (53.87), Brazil’s Henrique Rodrigues (54.71), China’s Ye Zhengchao (55.43) and Singapore’s Zheng Wen Quah (55.77) completed the top eight in the finale.

Three-time Olympian Roland Schoeman won the men’s 50m breastroke with a 25.68 finish. Australia’s Christian Sprenger finished second in 26.24 and Brazil’s Felipe Lima touched third in 26.84. Bovell  only marginally missed bronze, when finishing just behind the Brazilian in 26.86. Hungary’s Daniel Gyurta (27.03), Hendrik Feldwehr (27.11) and Japan’s Kazuki Kohinata (28.01) also competed in the final.

The high point of the opening day of the Singapore meet was a record swim by South African swim sensation Chad Le Clos, who has set a new world mark in the 200m butterfly (short-course). The 21-year-old Olympic champion clocked one minute, 48.56 seconds at the Singapore Sports School pool to rewrite his own mark of 1:49.04 clocked in August.

The World Cup also saw Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson cruise home with a 100m breastroke gold in a winning time of 1:03.48. She’s been much faster this year with a Jamaican-record, second-ranked time of 1:02.91 from the Dubai stop of the tour, but didn’t need to expend that much energy against a sparse field.

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Representatives from eleven sporting disciplines in Tobago completed the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee’s Sport Administrators Course which took place at the Conference Room of the Division of Education, Youth Affairs and Sport at Dutch Fort, Scarborough. On the final day of the month-long programme on October 30, TTOC President Brian Lewis presented on the topic of sponsorship. Lewis told the participants that sponsorship is not charity and that the sponsors are expecting returns on their investment as they are expected to account for the funding given to the sport. During the final two weeks the following presenters addressed the attendees: Dennise Demmings (Public Relations and Evens Managements), Dr. Anyl Goppesingh (Sport Science), Kairon Serrettte (Financial Management and Budgeting).

Following the final lecture Lewis and THA’s Assistant Secretary for Education, Youth Affairs and Sport presented certificates of participation and copies of the course manual to the participants. The course was organised and funded by the TTOC and begun on October 8. Other presenters were: Stacey Cateau (International Olympic Committee Structure), Surendra Arjoon (Ethics in Sports and Fair Play), Catherine Forde (Communication), Roger St. Rose (Constitution), Gabre McTair (Development Pathway), Annette Knott (Governance in Sport), Sherlan Cabralis (Marketing) and Carol Charles-Austin (Strategic Planning).

The Sport Administrators Course was designed to assist those who work in the sport movement throughout the world. The programme provides guidelines on how sports should be administrated at regional and international levels. The training of sports administrators is geared to assist those who work and volunteer in the sports movement to operate effectively.

List of participants:

Michael Alexander , Arlon James (Tobago Cricket Association), Everton Alfred , Anthony Moore (Tobago Football Association), Lisa Hosam, Hollis Walker (Tobago Game Fishing Association), Dr. Dwight Angus, David Denoon, Anthony Williams (Crusue Isle Tennis Club), Ronald Chandler -Joy-Ann Yeates-Prescott (Paradise Hockey Club), Kirsten Des Vignes (Tobago Net ball Association/Tobago Dragon Boat Association), Gerald Franklyn (Zenith Athletic Club), (Alloy Johnson (FX Reloaded/Body Building), Sherry Ann Louis (Tobago Rugby Club), Marslyn Scotland (Tobago Falcons Athletic Club), Arnel Anthony (Moriah Youth Football/Top Shooters Basketball), Shamela Andrews (Tobago Netball Association), Lyndon Bacchus, Javon Carrington, Johnan Roberts Kerril Jobe(Division of Education Youth Affairs and Sports).

Money worries! No Money! These days the Ministry of Sport and the Sport Company (SportTT) are coming in for adverse comment and criticism either openly or by innuendo. Sports administrators are publicly pointing to the Ministry and or SportTT. The blame for every disappointment is dumped squarely in the lap of the honchos at Abercromby Street and Henry Street. This column, on the other hand, has a different perspective and that is fingers should be pointed at local sports administrators for missing the strategic boat. The narrative surrounding sport is focused on the negative because of sports administrators and other interested individuals for whom the only priority is obtaining money. With labour unions having to accept five percent, how could National Sport Organisations (NSOs) and their stakeholders not suffer funding cuts? NSOs should have been alive to the developments taking place, money worries should not have come like the proverbial thief in the night.

A few years ago as money flowed like water the T&TOC leadership on many occasions cautioned NSOs that they should be prudent and act with fiscal discipline, common sense and responsibility. Words of reason were dismissed and scoffed at. During the heady times of plenty the emphasis shifted from volunteerism. No longer was it about sport at the service of the larger and greater good. Strategic and national sport policy coherence became a casualty as social and recreational sports suddenly became elite and amateur sport administrators changed overnight into high value professionals. An overreliance on government funding fosters dependency. NSOs are the ones to make the hard decisions not government. It is unrealistic and a dereliction of duty and leadership to demand and even expect that government and by extension the taxpayer to fund the complete wish list of any NSO. Not, at any rate, in times when babies are crying from hunger or drowning in cesspits.

Government funding is not an absolute or God given right; there are some government hand out obsessed NSOs who believe that they should receive all the funding that they require from the public purse. Their love and devotion to their sport is without question. However, NSOs cannot afford to be naïve or for that matter compliant and allow unrepresentative views and actions to be taken for  the majority view. Small but vocal minorities can do untold damage when the majority display indifference. There is not enough money to go around and NSOs are entirely reliant on government funding. A recipe for disaster, if ever there was one. Solving it requires fresh ideas and thought leadership. Sport is vulnerable to the external problems in the political, social and socio-economic environment. Institutional and systemic barriers to sports development are substantial and participation in sport is not taken seriously. There are serious issues to be addressed.

Maybe if NSOs change their poor me narrative to one that is more edifying and constructive, then sport will be taken seriously  and strategically promoted as a significant contributor to  social development, economic growth and diversification. The general public and corporate T&T are sick and tired of the posturing, brinksmanship, bacchanal and confusion. Instead of running around shouting the sky is falling start talking about an integrated strategy to create a sporting culture that will grow and create a sustainable sport ecosystem and infrastructure that will see more Trinbagonians playing, enjoying and excelling in sports. Before going cap in hand begging and demanding more money provide information  on participation levels; ideas and plans on how to make sports more accessible for the average Trinbagonian; suggestions on how to facilitate increased participation among all citizens in recreational and competitive sports and how to coordinate programmes that support athlete development and progress to high performance. Establish the local sport brand as trustworthy and credible, excellence driven and innovative. Dysfunctional, inept and incompetent is not a brand anyone would want to align with,sponsor, fund or invest in.

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Few people are embedded in the fabric of the Olympic Games like Sebastian Coe.

As an athlete and administrator, Coe has been at the sharp end of the biggest sporting event in the world, and is therefore perfectly placed to predict what lies ahead for Rugby when Sevens joins the Olympic programme in less than three years’ time.

As an athlete, Coe was a British Olympic hero, winning gold medals in the 1,500 metres at the 1980 and 1984 Games in Moscow and Los Angeles respectively.

As an administrator, he was seen as the perfect individual to lead London’s bid for the 2012 Games Olympics. Having helped to deliver the winning bid, he then became chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), and the Games were hailed as a triumph at home and abroad.

The next edition of the Summer Games, in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in 2016, will welcome Rugby Sevens onto the programme, with the inaugural 12-team men’s and women’s competitions at the Olympics set to provide the sport with an unprecedented opportunity to establish itself as truly universal.

For Coe, who extended a long-held link with the Olympic movement by becoming chairman of the British Olympic Association nearly a year ago after his tenure as LOCOG chairman ended, the addition of Sevens to the Games represents a "win-win" situation for Rugby and for the Games.

Rugby's legacy

"It’s a great opportunity for Rugby and for the Olympics," Coe said.

"The Olympic rings are the most recognisable brand in the world. The Olympic movement is the most powerful driver of change through sport – both social and economic – and to have Rugby sitting at the table alongside other great sports is significant for both sides.

"If we are talking about legacy, the Olympic Games lead to legacies in all sorts of areas. Whether it is more coaches or more volunteers, or more young people understanding what Rugby is about, I think the sport will benefit from a strong series of legacies through the Games."

One of the key messages that helped to persuade members of the International Olympic Committee to vote for London’s bid to stage the 2012 Olympics was a commitment to building a solid foundation for sustainable sports participation amongst youngsters.

Coe believes this focus on youth is an important reason why Rugby is primed for a positive experience through joining the Olympic programme.

"In terms of the Olympic movement, Sevens has a great opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and youth engagement at the Games.

New medallists

"It’s a very attractive sport for young people and in fairness it brings countries into the movement that may not have had a strong handhold on the Olympic Games."

Rugby has not featured in the Olympics since 1924, but men’s and women’s Sevens competitions have been guaranteed a spot on the programme for the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan, as well as the 2016 Games in Rio and the sport is enjoying global participation, commercial, attendance and profile growth.

Rugby participation has experienced a 19 per cent participation boom since the sport was overwhelmingly voted back onto the Olympic Games programme in 2009. Women’s Rugby has been at the forefront of that growth and is integral to its continuing success.

Asia, Latin and North America are significant growth regions and, according to Coe, the opportunity to promote Sevens through the Games in such territories is crucial.

"You might have Fiji as a potential gold medal-winner in the Sevens and I think we can be open and say that it is probably unlikely to happen in too many other sports," Coe said.

"I think we recognise that for Rugby it is a great opportunity to globalise and grow the sport, particularly for young people and the Olympic movement. It takes us into countries where there is a great feel for that.

Heritage is important

"All sports that have an Olympic profile tend to get a greater handhold in those countries."

Wheelchair Rugby made its full debut at the Paralympic Games in 2000 after being a demonstration sport four years earlier and the IRB is collaborating with the International Federation to share knowledge and support growth structures.

Now that Rugby has followed suit by joining the Olympics, becoming a part of the Games will allow youngsters taking up Rugby to "have a dream" of where their journey could take them, all through the gateway of Sevens joining the Olympics.

"It is important for people to understand a lot more about the Olympic movement and what its history is," Coe said.

"I always encourage young people taking up the sport to understand what their heritage is, what the great teams were, and who the great players and coaches were.

"Join a club and recognise that you do not only have the opportunity of playing Rugby for your country, but be one of very few people to say that you are an Olympian."

Sebastian Coe will be speaking at the inaugural IRB World Rugby Conference and Exhibition, taking place in Dublin from 17-20 November 2013. Click here for more details.

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President of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), Brian Lewis, has set a national objective to achieve eight more Olympic gold medals by the 2024 Summer Games.

The Trinidad Newsday newspaper said that Lewis believes that if athletes, national sporting organisations (NSO) and a nation do not set big targets, "we will continue to produce average and mediocre performances on the global sporting stage".

To date, the twin-island republic has secured only two Olympic gold medals - Hasely Crawford (100m) in 1976 and Keshorn Walcott (javelin) at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

However, Lewis, who was elected president of the TTOC in May, is certain that once the proper structures and programmes are implemented, a continuum of top-notch performances can be maintained from the many credible athletes of this twin-island nation. His ultimatum: a total of 10 gold medals altogether by 2024, according to the newspaper.

"We have to change the mindset and set big goals," he said. "We have gone past the times when we were just happy to qualify and participate. In the Olympic realm, we must think gold.

"The build-up to the Olympics includes CAC, Pan Am, Common-wealth, Youth Olympics and Youth Commonwealth, and at all these events, we must have gold medal aspirations. We have to aim for greatness and set a bold challenge for ourselves."

Lewis said that the TTOC will continue working with and educating its NSO affiliates on several courses, which would eventually amplify their purpose towards producing more all-round and complete athletes locally.

GOOD FOUNDATION

Lewis heaped praises on past representatives of the TTOC and their partners for setting a foundation which has proven to be a success, with TT's largest Olympic medal haul at the 2012 Games.

His intention, however, is to continue on this path and enhance those plans already in place to ensure a constant flow of quality athletes in as many sporting disciplines.

"The TTOC has a number of elements. The High Performance Centre, which is really about the Olympics on one end, Sport-4-All, which is about participation. We also build a capacity with sports administration courses, encouraging to shape communities and health and wellness, among others. These are simply what we have done over the years in terms of building the NSOs," he explained.

The former TTOC general secretary added that national athletes must also set their own personal goals and work toward them. While he declared that the fruits of this nation's sporting labour are testament to the work done by those before, he insisted that even bigger goals must be set if we are to really fulfil our potential.

"You will get a sense of backward thinking from people who see this as such a stretch and almost unrealistic, but the reality is that in anything you do, you have to strive for greatness. We as a nation must come out of this paradigm shift that things are impossible. The only way we can measure our full potential is if we aim for greatness," he concluded.

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T&T’s youth beach volleyballers will have a chance to claim a spot at next year’s Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, when the T&T Volleyball Federation hosts its Youth Olympic qualifying tournament from November 25-29 at a venue to be determined.

Recently, Rodell Fraseer and Delshun Welcome of St Vincent and St Lucians Dala Noel and Skye Mondesir, claimed the boys and girls places, respectively, on offer from the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association Zone of Norceca Round of Youth Olympic Beach Qualification Tournament held at Pigeon Point Beach, St Lucia.

The St Vincent and the Grenadines duo of Fraser and Welcome spiked their way to the top spot when they formalised their unbeaten run in the tournament, in near dominating fashion over Dominica’s Arden Elmes and Yahn Florent, taking both matches in the best of three final series, 2-0.

They had to ward off a defiant Elmes and Florent in the first match but came through 21-16, 22-20 and won the second match, 21-9, 21-5.

There was more history making achievement, as it will be the first time St Vincent and the Grenadines will be represented at the Olympic Games in a team sport.

In addition, they finished the two-day tournament, dropping only one set and ended with a 10-1 win/loss ratio.

Before meeting Elmes and Florent, Fraser and Welcome saw off Grenada’s team of Sherman Clement and Jayvon Gilbert in two straight matches, to sweep the series without many complications. The Vincentians won 21-14, 21-15 and 21-14, 21-11.

Elmes and Florent had a harder route to the final, taken to the golden set by the St Lucian combination of Alexander Augier and Andre Marquis.

St Lucia won match one, 2-0 ( 21-11, 22-20), but Dominican sent the contest into a golden set, as they took match two, 21-23, 21-10, 15-11. Elmes and Florent edged out Augier and Marquis in the golden set, 16-14 in thrilling fashion.

St Lucia came away with the third spot, taking the two matches 21-12, 21-15 and 23-21, 21-13.

But it is not all over for Dominica and St Lucia, as they have another chance at qualification in the second round which begins next year.

Noel and Mondesir booked their country’s passage to the first ever Beach Volleyball at the Youth Olympics beating the Grenadian duo of Jomelar Billy and Carsie Paul 21-19, 22-20 and 21-8, 21-0.

In reaching the finals, St Lucia defeated St Vincent and the Grenadines overall 2-0, also in the best of three match series.

Modesir and Noel cleaned up Angelique Allan and Mikhailla Matthias 21-13, 21-10 and 21-12 , 21-12 to set up their meeting with Billy and Paul.

In the other half of the semifinal, the situation was not as straight forward, as it was taken to a golden set.

Grenada claimed the first match 22-20, 21-17, but Antigua and Barbuda’s Natasha Best and Zenelle Edwards brought parity to the contest by taking match two, 21-15, 21-15.

Grenada though closed out the duel by winning the golden set, but not without a nervy finish, 15-13.

Antigua and Barbuda secured the third place over St Vincent and the Grenadines, 21-19, 22-20 and 21-12, 21-12.

Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda await the next phase of the qualifiers, as they go for their second chance of reaching China.

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Sam Chalmers, the son of former Scotland and British Lions fly-half Craig, has been banned from rugby for two years for doping offences.

The 19-year-old student, who plays for Scottish club Melrose, apologised after being handed the ban at an International Rugby Board hearing during which he admitted using a pill called Pro-SD in an attempt to put on weight.

Chalmers tested positive for methandienone and stanozolol, which are both listed as anabolic androgenic steroids in the list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency, while on duty with the Scotland Under-20s ahead of a Test with Ireland in May.

The match was a warm-up for the Junior World Cup in France and Chalmers did not play in the tournament. He has also not featured in any of Melrose’s three Scottish Premiership fixtures so far this season.

“On his own account he took Pro-SD thinking it was a ‘testosterone pill’ in the hope it would help him gain weight,” the IRB committee said.

“He carried out no research or advice and accepted the risks in doing so. He was entirely at fault and he accepts the consequences.”

Chalmers admitted that his actions were “stupid, naive and impressionable” in a statement issued to the media.

“First of all I would like to apologise to my club Melrose RFC, my team-mates, the Scottish Rugby Union, my friends and my family,” he said.

“I am disappointed in myself and have to take personal responsibility for this incident, which has ultimately led me to being banned from the game I have grown up with and love so much.

“I have been stupid, naive and impressionable and would urge other young players not to give in to the constant pressure to be bigger in the manner that I did over a two-week period in April last season.

“I would certainly encourage young players to seek out the correct advice from the right places before taking any kind of supplement or product.

"I hope over time that I can be forgiven for my mistake and that I can come back to compete in the game I love so much.”

Graham Ireland, Scottish Rugby’s head of regulation, said: “Scottish Rugby takes a very clear stance on anti-doping and we have a zero-tolerance policy on doping offences in Scotland.

“We are committed to keeping the game in Scotland clean through a programme of robust drug testing coupled with education on the dangers of illegal substances.

“Since the 2009-2010 season there have been around 800 drugs tests in Scottish Rugby, at all levels of the game, and, in that period, there have now been two adverse findings – an amateur club player in 2010 who was found to have taken a slimming product that contained an illegal substance and, this latest case, involving a club player who took a product because he naively thought it could help him to put on weight.”

Chalmers’s father played 60 times for Scotland and once for the Lions between 1989 and 1999.

He has since moved into coaching and recently joined National One club Esher as backs coach after a successful stint at Melrose, his hometown club.

He said: "Sam has made a huge mistake, but anyone that knows him will tell you what a pleasant, polite young man he is.

"I must point out that Sam's family in no way condone what he has done, but we will be there to support and help him through this difficult time.

"Sam is a competitive, ambitious and hard-working young man who now faces the biggest challenge of his life.

"I believe the lessons Sam has learned from this experience will only make him stronger and when he does return to rugby you will see a player who has matured.

"My message to young players would be not to take any short cuts.

"These products may not only damage your career, but they can also damage your health.

"Get the right advice from the right people before you take any product or supplement."

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New research suggests that athletes who use steroids for a short period can benefit for their entire careers.

Experiments with mice showed that a brief exposure to testosterone allowed the mice to rapidly regain muscle later in their lives.

The scientist behind the study says that if a similar effect can be shown in humans, it should lead to a lifetime ban for dopers.

The research has been published in the Journal of Physiology.

Norwegian scientists had previously published work that showed the existence of a "muscle memory".

This suggested that if people exercised when they were young, their muscles grew more easily when they exercised later in life.

The same team has now looked at the impact of a brief exposure to testosterone on mice.

They found that three months after the drug was withdrawn, their muscles grew by 30% after six days of exercise. A control group of mice saw growth of just 6% in the same time period.

"It is rare to have data that clear cut, I was pretty satisfied with that," Prof Kristian Gundersen, from the University of Oslo, told BBC News.

He explained that the drugs boost the number of cell nuclei in the muscle fibres.
Ten year benefit

These nuclei are key to building strength in muscles when people exercise and the mouse study suggests that these extra nuclei gained through using testosterone remain in the long term.

Prof Gundersen believes the same holds true for humans.

Despite the long held belief that steroid users lose the benefit of the drugs when they stop taking them, the Norwegian research suggests that even a brief exposure to steroids could have a long-lasting effect.

"If it is sufficient to build muscle mass, I think it would be sufficient to give you this long term effect. I think it could last 10 years but I don't have the data to back that up. It would be my speculation yes," he said.

The Norwegians believe that their research calls into question the current proposal from the World Anti Doping Agency (Wada) to raise the penalty for dopers from two years to four.

"In science if you cheat, you are out for life, and my personal view is that it should be similar for athletes," he said.

"It is a harsh treatment but if you really are cheating, I think that's reasonable."

The team has been given a grant from Wada to carry out further research on humans. They are developing the protocols for a study involving students at a sports college in Oslo.

The research follows on from work that was carried out in Sweden in the past few years.

Researchers found that power lifters who have stopped taking steroids had an advantage in their sport years after they stopped using the drugs.

The researchers discovered that the lifters who had once taken the drugs had a comparable number of cell nuclei in their quadriceps as athletes who were currently performing high intensity training.

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The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) wishes to extend its thanks to Bptt and the Michael Johnson Performance for an excellent and well received workshop conducted October 22-24 at the VIP Lounge at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

The workshop included participants from a wide range of sporting disciplines. The workshop was aimed at  sharing knowledge and information on techniques to improve speed, agility, strength and stamina.

The workshop is part of the partnership between BP Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Johnson Performance and the TTOC.

More than 30 coaches representing various national sporting disciplines have benefitted from an intensive three-day training workshop conducted by the world-renowned Michael Johnson Performance (MJP) at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

The training, which ran from October 22 to 24,  represents a continuation of the partnership between energy company BP Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT) and the T&T Olympic (TTOC) and Paralympic (TTPC) Committees that started in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and which will continue straight to the 2016 Games.

TTOC president, Brian Lewis, was enthusiastic about the partnership. “The relationship with bpTT and MJP presents an excellent prospect for athlete development and is based on shared values including respect, excellence, courage and most importantly, one team. Michael Johnson and his team have shared their knowledge openly and this collaboration is making us all-round better. We are planting a seed that will grow and deliver a mentality of excellence and elite performance in our athletes.”

Putting the collaboration into context was Danielle A Jones-Hunte, corporate communications manager, bpTT. “Trinidad and Tobago has an abundance of talent which, if presented with the right opportunities, can become world class,” she said. “Our focus is on providing tools to assist the development of national athletes and coaching is a critical aspect of that thrust. Together with the TTOC and TTPC, we expect great things coming out of the MJP training.”

Fully sponsored by bpTT, the workshop featured the MJP expertise of Lance Walker and Brian Abadie, who are both certified strength and conditioning specialists. Established by Olympic 200 and 400-metre champion, Michael Johnson, MJP provides training programmes, biomechanical analysis, nutrition assessments, coaching, physical therapy and injury prevention programmes.

According to Walker, “This is a first step in opening a portal of communication for what we expect will be constant continuing education and the ultimate goal is to merge the best of the MJP systems and local coaching expertise. International sporting organisations and countries are using our expertise and for T&T coaches and athletes, this is about taking good and making it great. This is a chance to put this country on the fast lane to athletic development.”

One of the athletes who has benefitted directly from the bpTT/TTOC/MJP partnership is 400-metre hurdle champion, Jehue Gordon: “My time at the Michael Johnson Performance Centre in Texas was really eye-opening and transformational. I was able to analyse and tweak aspects of my technique and I learnt a lot, including critical aspects such as nutrition. Michael himself is an inspiration to me and I see this relationship with MJP as a move towards the future for national sports development.”he Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, last week.

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October 25 - Squash is set to go ahead with plans to launch a fresh bid for inclusion at the 2024 Olympic Games subject to consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The sport's bid for inclusion at the 2020 Games ended in disappointment in Buenos Aires last month when International Olympic Committee (IOC) members emphatically chose wrestling to be added to the programme, with squash languishing down in third place in the vote.

In comparison with 49 votes for wrestling and 24 for second placed baseball-softball, squash received just 22.

It was squash's third consecutive failure to get on to the Olympic programme, having narrowly missed out on London 2012 because they did not gain the necessary two-thirds majority at the IOC Session in Singapore in 2005 and then overlooked for Rio 2016 in favour of golf and rugby sevens at the 2009 Session in Copenhagen.

But, during the World Squash Federation (WSF) Conference and Annual General Meeting in Christchurch, plans were laid to go ahead with a fresh attempt.

The issue was discussed openly at the conference and WSF President Narayana Ramachandran gave a clear message  he would continue to campaign and has already sought a meeting with the new IOC President Thomas Bach on the subject, it is understood.

"WSF President Mr Ramachandran has requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach to help us determine our position," WSF chief executive Andrew Shelley told insidethegames.

Shelley added that they would like to wait until this meeting takes place before commenting further and that "it would not be appropriate to elaborate at this time."

A lengthier overview of the discussions at the Conference was provided by the chief executive of Squash New Zealand Jim O'Grady who confirmed to the Waikato Times the issue was "discussed openly both at the conference and at the AGM".

He added: "I would have taken from the meeting that there was still support for the process to carry on, there was certainly no discussion about just giving up and not having another go."

It remains unclear whether an additional sport will be up for inclusion in 2024 or if a new sport could only be added at the expense of an existing one, as was the case for 2020.

"That's probably the biggest question, because there's a lot of debate about a change in the Olympic programme, the ability to get new sports into it, and that was one of the key aspects of the 2020 Olympics, but in fact they didn't do that at all," O'Grady said.

"So I think the IOC's got to look very closely at the structure of it's programme.

"They may be bound by the number of athletes but it doesn't mean to say that you couldn't get other sports in there and still stay within those boundaries.

"So that's where the questions will be asked and I think that's really what Ramachandran's trying to find out."

O'Grady, chief executive of Squash New Zealand since 2009, also claimed the 2020 bid has helped to boost the sport and suggested that this may have contributed to the enthusiasm towards bidding again.

"The professional men's and women's associations, they're far more engaged with world squash now than perhaps they have ever been," he said.

"So there's a lot of good things that have happened and I think we need to capitalise on it.

"I think you need a goal to strive for."

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"To the victor go the spoils" is a well-known phrase first uttered by a New York Senator in 1831. Simply put, it means the winner gets the prize. But in the sports world determining a winner can be sometimes be challenging.

You would think that the person crossing the finish line first or the team scoring the most points is the winner, right, seems kind of a no brainer. They're the ones that stand on top of the podium and receive the bouquet of flowers, get their medals, trophy, jacket or jersey and hear their national anthem played. Of course, they are the champions. That's why we have competitions and why we have an award ceremony afterwards, so we can crown and celebrate the winners.

But unfortunately, things are not always what they seem, not quite that simple and straightforward. Determining a true winner can, in reality, take years, even decades to finalise.

Before a competition even starts boycotts, bans, restrictions and selection procedures determine who is allowed to compete, which in turn, could very likely affect the outcome and who wins.

After a competition and podium ceremony there can be appeals, protests, complaints, investigations, inquiries, hearings, reviews, proceedings and campaigns. There can be political and public pressure to overcome, gender verification tests to go through, drug testing results to analyse and then even more drug re-testing.

And sometimes there is no winner. Yes, that's right; a competition where no one wins, no one comes first. But is that possible? Absolutely, just look at the Wikipedia page for The Tour De France List of Winners and you will find written in bold text "NO WINNER" written in the column marked "winner" seven times in a row from 1999 to 2005. The only other absence of a winner since 1903, when The Tour De France began, was during World War One and World War Twowhen there were no races.

But, unless I have completely lost my marbles, didn't Lance Armstrong stand on top of the podium at the "podium ceremony" each of those years and wasn't he crowned the winner seven times in row? So, while the race had ended the results were not permanent - for that we had to wait another dozen years.

In October 2012 the results were officially changed and Mr Armstrong was stripped of his wins, his titles, for over whelming evidence he had been doping all the years he won despite never having definitively been caught while competing. No other cyclist was moved up to become the new winner for any of those seven years - so Lance did not ultimately win and neither did anyone else.

Five months before Armstrong was officially relieved of his seven titles, Bjarne Riis, the 1996 Tour De France winner admitted taking EPO, a banned performance-enhancing drug, in that same year. But he did not lose his title and is still the "1996 Winner" because the statute of limitations of 10 years had expired.

Then we have Floyd Landis and Alberto Contador, the "podium winners" of the 2006 and 2010 Tour de France, who subsequently tested positive for taking performance enhancing drugs, and had their titles stripped from them and reallocated to Óscar Pereiro and Andy Schleck retroactively a year and change after their respective races had completed.

Earlier this year, on May 30, my good friend Adam Nelson, American shot putter, received the 2004 Olympic gold medal - almost nine years after he competed in Athens. The 2004 Olympic podium winner for this event was Yuriy Bilonoh of the Ukraine who held the title for eight and a half years until a urine sample of his, taken back in 2004, was retested using the newest, latest technology and came up positive for doping.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) made the finding public and announcement of the loss of his Olympic title on December 5, 2012 but Nelson, the 2004 podium Olympic Silver medallist in the men's shot put, had to wait another six months to be get his gold medal and be officially crowned the 2004 Olympic Champion – nine years after the last shot put hit the dirt in the Athens competition.

Using banned performance enhancing drugs has to be the most common and publicised reason for results being changed.

There are, however, plenty of other reasons why results can be overturned, changed and athlete's performances can be annulled or disqualified and positions, rankings and medals be reassigned or not. And it can happen a few hours after the award ceremony or decades later after athletes have retired or even died.

There are rules in every sport, there has to be, and when rules are broken the outcome, the results can change. But rules are constantly changing, being modified, being thrown out and new rules come in. But it is not just athletes that might try to ignore, bend, or break the rules: coaches, organisations and even Governments can sometimes try to get in on the act.

But the people, aside from the athletes, that have the greatest influence on the outcome of a competition and have the most important role and responsibility in sport are the referees, judges, umpires and officials. They make sure we have safe, rule abiding competitions so things are fair on the sporting battlefield - a level playing field for all.

But rules can be manipulated, deliberately or unintentionally. A single call, judgment or decision can effect who wins in the end. It could be as obvious as disallowing a goal or something as seemingly insignificant as allowing an athlete more time to take their throw, giving one athlete a better lane draw then others, or calling someone offside when they weren't.

One of the most famous and outrageous incidents, that I can recollect, of officials possibly misusing their roles happened in the men's triple jump in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. In the final, nine out of 12 jumps that could have challenged the Russian athletes were ruled fouls. But it was the jump by Australian Ian Campbell that was the jaw dropper. His longest hop, skip and jump exceeded the Olympic record only to be quickly red flagged by the Russian officials citing some obscure, and quite frankly ridiculous rule, that he dragged his non-jumping foot on the ground, which he clearly did not. Was this intentional manipulation by the officials to try to affect the outcome, gross incompetence or simply misunderstanding and misapplying a rule?

Competitions take place at a designated place, on a specific date and start at a set time but when do they finish, really finish? When is the result permanent, fixed, carved in stone, sealed and can never be changed? Ever? Can we ever really know who the true winner is? Is the best we can hope for is, this is the "Winner, for now"?

Changing results after a competition is over and rearranging the position of the finishers is not that uncommon. What is more unusual is having results and standings, points, positions and medals change and then later changing them back again to the original results.

In 1976 at the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix, Britain's James Hunt won the race, but was later disqualified for a rule violation. But after an appeal, Hunt's win and valuable points were reinstated and he went on to become the world champion that year.

If you go back even further in history, over a hundred years, there is another incident of musical podium chairs that one could argue has still not completely been resolved:

At the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics American Jim Thorpe won both the decathlon and the pentathlon by a stunning margin. He dominated the competition and won gold medals in both disciplines. His performance was so impressive that Sweden's King Gustaf V apparently told Thorpe when presenting him with his gold medals, "Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world."

Unfortunately, months later, after an investigation, Thorpe was disqualified for breaking the rules - it was decided he was a professional and not an amateur athlete because he had received money for playing baseball, which was not allowed and against the Olympic rules at that time. So his amazing and historic Olympic performance was stricken from the record books and his titles and medals were taken away. His Olympic title and gold medals were then given to Hugo Wieslander for the decathlon and Ferdinand Reinhardt Bie for the pentathlon.

Fast forward to 1982, seven decades later and over a quarter of a century after Thorpe had died, and the IOC reversed their previous ruling and reinstated Thorpe as double Olympic champion. His medals and titles were returned to him because his disqualification had occurred long after the 30-day time period allowed by the IOC's own Olympic rules.

So finally, 70 years on, everything is sorted: Thorpe's incredible athletic Olympic accomplishment and dominance at the 1912 Olympics is officially recognised once more. He is the 1912 decathlon and pentathlon champion. But there is one small catch with his reinstatement - he now has to share the titles with the two other athletes - Wieslander in the decathlon and Bie in the pentathlon. Thorpe is now just a co-champion. Despite his overwhelming superiority in those competitions, the other athletes elevated positions remain in place.

Surprisingly, if you go to the IOC website, even now, and click on the photo of Thorpe it says this below the image "American athlete Jim Thorpe, the disqualified winner of the pentathlon and the decathlon at the Stockholm 1912 Olympic Games".

So Thorpe won two events, was then disqualified, then reinstated and is now a co-Olympic champion and is still identified by the IOC as "the disqualified winner". Maybe that hammer and chisel should be put down. Maybe, just maybe the results are still not completely final yet.

It is important that there be a clear and decisive winner in sports competition. Having a temporary and changing result is not good for the participants, spectators or for that matter sport. There must and should be a winner.

Winning and becoming a winner should be something we strive for even if we never get there. There should be a value to coming first because we can't all be winners, can we? Should we hand out medals to everyone that competes, as I witnessed at my nine-year-old daughter's gymnastics competition recently, where hundreds of medals were doled out like candy at Halloween. One podium ceremony had 22 places and 40+ medals awarded! Doesn't that diminish the value of winning, if everyone gets a medal?

On the other hand, what's the value in winning a competition if you have no opposition like in master's track and field? In some of the older age group categories in the 80s+, 90s+ and 100 year olds + there is sometimes just one competitor, even at a national or international level. Can you win something when you are the only competitor? Is that worth anything? In this instance I would have to step in and say a resounding yes. Having competed as a masters athlete myself for years and seen firsthand what some of these people can do in their twilight years is extraordinary. Just seeing a guy in his eighties or nineties standing on top of a podium is impressive enough let alone after running, jumping or throwing!

We have sport competitions to find out who are the fastest, strongest, most talented athletes and teams, who are the best competitors, who can rise to the challenge under pressure. It is a valuable life skill and in sport it is visible for all to see. We need to be able to identify the winners clearly and celebrate their accomplishments without any doubt, concerns or scepticism. When we look at the podium, we must know and be confident the people standing on top were the best competitors that day, period.

Winners should be celebrated and be able to enjoy their "spoils" whether its filling their bank accounts with prize money from competing and endorsement deals or just having the satisfaction of doing ones best and beating the opposition. We just need to make sure we identify a clear victor.

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