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THE INAUGURAL BPTT, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) and Michael Johnson Performance (MJP) High Performance Summit got off to a successful start at the Michael Johnson World Training Centre in McKinney, Texas on Monday.

The Team TTO Road to Rio Summit focus is on preparing podium ready athletes as they prepare for next year’s Summer Olympic Games.

Nine elite track and field athletes are at the summit to undergo a series of evaluation and assessment tests as well as media and mental conditioning training.

The athletes attending the summit are Richard Thompson, Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Semoy Hackett, Machel Cedenio, Mikel Thomas, Emmanuel Callender, Jarrin Solomon and Wayne Davis.

Four-time Trinidad and Tobago Olympic medallist Ato Boldon and fellow coach, Eric Francis are also in the TT contingent.

Francis, coach of Michelle-Lee Ahye, was appreciative of the work being done. “This is a really good idea,” he said. “Definitely a step in the right direction in track and field and sports in Trinidad and Tobago. I congratulate the TTOC on a great initiative.” Lance Walker, Executive Vice-President and Global Performance Director added, “It’s all about the athletes and providing them and their coaches with complementary support. These are world-class athletes and coaches doing some great things. Our role is to add value where and when required.” The Summit 2015 forms part of the overall #10Gold24 athlete preparation programme.

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This country’s sports tourism ambitions have been dealt a serious blow due to the non-completion of major sports facilities costing the treasury millions in projected revenue says Sports Minister Darryl Smith.

While foreign states and international sporting organisations were still enquiring about the possibility of having access to the Brian Lara Stadium, National Cycling Velodrome, the George Bovell Aquatic Centre and National Tennis Centre and even the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago, post September 7, for their pre-Rio, Brazil 2016 Olympic preparation, the minister lamented in a T&T Guardian interview, they all needed work.

The Dwight Yorke Stadium, which was by no means new, however, was in need of remedial work.

Millions in revenue estimated by the former People’s Partnership Government from foreign countries desirous of setting up camps on local soil, en route to the Rio 2016 Olympic in Brazil, had been lost as once interested parties have redirected their business elsewhere, leading up to the Games.

“…inherited problem! That should have been thought out and planned before. Again, (it’s) only a month plus since we have been there (in government).

There is nothing that we could do. We are trying our best to ensure that they are completed, but more importantly, that the maintenance contracts, the tendering process, is put in place.

Again, that was poor management from the former administration. They know Olympics was coming up,” he said. Smith added, “They should have speeded up things, but instead they pushed certain things for elections gimmick: cutting of ribbons in certain places and so on, when they should have focused and realised that whoever was in government, the people of T&T would have benefitted with regards to utilising these arenas. We talk about sport tourism.

A lot of countries and sports organisation have asked about them, but they are not completed. This is where the focus should have been.”     

With respect to the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Smith said he planned to meet with Housing Minister Marlene Mc Donald and Noel Garcia, chairman of the Urban Development Company Limited (Udecott) to explore ways to cease the hemorrhaging of tax-payers funds and ultimately save the project.

He said the Keith Rowley-led administration had to ensure that no more tax-payer funds were wasted and as a consequence something positive had to happen.

“At this point I can’t comment because I have never seen it. It’s under Udecott. The ministry of sport has no drawings, no plans. So we have to have that meeting and we do a formal (site) visit.

We will let the public know what we plan to do with it. I am the most optimistic person that you’ll meet and I’m really hoping that everything was done with good intentions.

At the end of the day, I think we really wanted cricket to be at played there at the highest level, so it may be that they (the previous government) would have had some issue,” said Smith.

He continued, “Five years passed and nothing was done. Whether it was political or not, I don’t know what were their plans. Just like a number of other projects throughout T&T: the Diego Martin Northern Grounds, Mahaica Oval (Point Fortin), and a number of other projects, even National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA). Look at NAPA? All of a sudden it’s shut down because of no maintenance.

That’s for another place, another debate. All I know is the Brian Lara Stadium will be looked at and the best decision will be made for the tax payers of T&T.”

Whatever the challenges were associated with those projects they were all inherited, he said, and went onto slam the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration over its tardiness.

Any layman, said Smith, would have known when constructing structures such as those mentioned, maintenance contracts had to be put into effect.

“That wasn’t put in place. So right now those (facilities) are almost completed: 86, 95, 98 per cent completed and there is no maintenance contract.

There is no way we could have a handing over process without a proper tendering process with regards to who is going to maintain it, because by the time you get that handing over, the clock start ticking.

Who is going to be maintaining it? Who is going to be ensuring that the track is okay, the air conditioning is working, the lights are working and so on. So we now moving feverishly trying to put a tendering process in place to take care of the national centres maintained,” said the minister.
He continued, “We have the Olympics around the corner.

We want to make sure that the Olympic prospects would be able to use the cycling track, the swimming pool and so on, but they have to be completed. They haven’t been handed over as yet.

But being proactive as I am and the ministry is we are trying quickly to get the maintenance contracts so when that day comes, we could have it opened right away.”

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SANTA CRUZ, Trinidad (Sunday, November 8): T&T’s reigning Olympic

men’s javelin gold medallist Keshorn Walcott took some time off his pre-
season training for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to

visit the Santa Cruz United Football Academy at the Brian Lara Recreational

Grounds, Santa Cruz on Saturday, November, 7. Walcott’s visit was part of

the Academy’s mentorship programme and shared young footballers on how

hard he trained to excel in his sport of javelin. He told how he threw

coconuts and mangos on the beach (in Toco) as part of his preparation. The

22 year old also encouraged them to be disciplined in order to be successful.

Walcott also showed off his dribbling and ball skills for the youngsters. He

played on the Toco Secondary football team whilst a student at the school.

Walcott was one of many sports celebrities to spike to the youngsters

recently. West Indies and T&T cricketer Dwayne Bravo also visited the

Academy.

The Santa Cruz United Football Academy is run by head coach and

president Ricardo Brizam along with his staff. The Academy is open to

youngsters between the ages from five to 16 years and meets on

Wednesday and Thursday (5pm to 7pm) and Saturday (9am­11:30am).

The IAAF president, Sebastian Coe, has called alleged bribery within athletics “abhorrent” after claims that his predecessor, Lamine Diack, received over €1m to cover up doping violations.

“That people in our sport have allegedly extorted money from athletes guilty of doping violations is abhorrent,” said Lord Coe in a statement sent to Reuters and Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper.
It was the former double Olympic champion’s first response to the latest crisis to hit the sport. Coe, who was elected president in August, also denied again that the governing body of athletics had been complacent in its handling of doping cases, as alleged by the Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD.

Coe’s comments came after French authorities this week placed Diack under formal investigation on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. The 82-year-old Senegalese is alleged to have received bribes in 2011 to cover up positive doping tests of Russian athletes, the office of France’s financial prosecutor said.

One of Diack’s sons and three other sports officials, two of whom held positions at the IAAF, have also been charged with ethical violations by the governing body.

“That they were not able to cover up the doping results is testament to the system that the IAAF and Wada [the World Anti-Doping Agency] have jointly put in place,” said Coe.

He promised stronger action by the IAAF during his administration. “Where there are fragilities in the system that may have allowed extortion, no matter how unsuccessful, we will strengthen them,” said Coe.

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“And the independent integrity unit which I will establish next month will include an independent tribunal to hear all integrity-related violations committed by international level athletes and their support personnel. We will take the hearing process out of the hands of individual member federations.“

Coe also struck back at critics who claimed the IAAF had not done enough to control doping. “Every doping case currently being investigated by Wada was first identified by the IAAF through its athlete biological passport programme,” he said.

A Wada independent commission is scheduled to announce on Monday its findings following a lengthy investigation into allegations of doping in Russia. The report is expected to be critical of Russian sports officials and the IAAF. “We are not complacent,” Coe said. “Every athlete found in violation has been charged and sanctioned.”

The Englishman, who has been criticised for not speaking out earlier after the French investigation of Diack became public, said the governing body has sought tougher penalties than those brought by the Russian officials.

“The IAAF believes the period of disqualification of results was too leniently applied by the Russian Federation and has been seeking an extension of these disqualifications through the Court of Arbitration for Sport in fairness of clean athletes. The cases are currently pending,” he added.

Coe said the IAAF had tested more than 5,000 athletes since 2009, proof the organisation was serious about making the sport clean.

“The best way to cover up an anti-doping case is not to test athletes at all,” he explained. “We will continue to lead the fight against drugs in sport on behalf of all clean athletes. Those that cheat will be caught. Those that are caught will be thoroughly investigated and the guilty will face the fullest sanctions available.”

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T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis is promising a Good Sport Governance code will soon become reality for this country.

The TTOC, the body holding exclusive authority for the Olympic Games and sports recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is also responsible for the Commonwealth Games and sports recognised by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) under the T&T Commonwealth Games Association (TTCGA).

And in the TTOC’s ongoing efforts to raise governance standards in the national sport organisations (NSOs) across the country, the TTOC is in discussions with international and local good governance experts as part of the national Olympic committee’s commitment to establish a Good Sport Governance code and guidelines.

“Good governance of national sports organisations and national governing bodies is essential to ensuring the development of sport is in accordance with the ethics and values of sport,” Lewis said.

“Given the role of sport within society to inspire and influence, the transparency, democracy and integrity of national sport organisations and governing bodies, clubs and sport based organisations needs to be assured.”

Lewis also said that national sporting bodies needed to govern their affairs in an “efficient, accountable, transparent and democratic manner”.

Transparency International (TI) defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.

It is a situation Lewis and his TTOC executive want to rid the NSOs of.

“Be it by choice, inability or inadvertence, poor governance leads to corruption and the misuse of resources with the consequent negative impact on the athletes in particular.”

Lewis, who has been involved in sport administration for three decades, said there was no one size fits all panacea and good corporate and organisational governance norms can’t be adopted blindly in sport.

“It’s a complex situation that requires consideration of the specificity of sport. Hence the intention of the TTOC/TTCGA to work with a cross section of experts to ensure that the TTOC proposed Good Sport Governance code is credible and realistic.”

Lewis concluded by saying the implementation and compliance action plan must be responsive to the need for co-operation across the T&T sport sector.

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TRINIDAD and Tobago netball fraternity lost a legend with the passing of Janet Bailey.

She died at her daughter’s residence in the United States on Friday night, aged 80.

Bailey, who was inducted into the Netball Hall of Fame, was a member of the national netball team at the first-ever World Netball Championship in Eastbourne, England, in 1963.

And she went on to represent her country in two more world tournaments 1971 and 1975.

Among her peers on that first world series were Marjorie John, Judy Francis, Enid Browne, Phyllis Pierre-Walker and the late Jean Pierre.

The powerfully- built Bailey was a stalwart goal-keeper, and many goalshoots and goal-attacks feared that big left hand.

After one game between a men’s team and the nationals in a practice match at the Eddie Taylor Court, later the Lystra Lewis Court, Princes Building grounds, legendary West Indies fast bowler Wes Hall who was in the men’s team said “she beat me more than my mother.” Bailey and a cadre of top netballers, Pierre-Walker, the late Pearl Francis and John entered the Police service and made that netball team champions.

On leaving the service, Bailey became a member of Carib Senators and teamed up with another national star goal-defence Althea Thomas to form a destructive defensive duo while winning the Port -of-Spain Netball League title multiple times.

Always flashing a broad smile, “Jay” as she was popularly called by her peers was the mother of three girls—Jacinta, Jeanne and Jessel.

Only Jeanne followed her footsteps into the top flight of netball, becoming one of the country’s elite goal-shoots.

After her playing days, Bailey entered into administration and became president of the Port -of-Spain Netball League for two consecutive terms.

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Sports Minister Darryl Smith wants a constitutional health check of all national sporting organisations (NSOs).

To achieve this, he has directed the legal team to lead heads of departments at the ministry in gathering and examining the constitutions of all national sporting organisations, in an effort to determine if these bodies were operating in a free and fair manner.    

His decision to undertake this exercise was a direct result of concerns raised by some members of the cricket fraternity about the questionable governance practices by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) as allowed under the existing constitution.

The issue led to public spats between TTCB officials and their detractors, who accused officials on the board of using the delegate system to place a strangle hold on clubs to retain office and ultimately power. At yesterday’s special Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva, opponents of the board called for amendments to the constitution including the introduction of a one man one vote system. The T&T Guardian has learnt that motions tabled towards amending the constitution were defeated.     

In a direct effort to bolster the management of NSOs, Smith said he wanted public officers to acquire the constitutions of all the governing bodies to unearth trends and weaknesses. He wanted to: “see what is the trend, what is the common denominator. I also requested best practices throughout the world with regards to international governing bodies. How do they do their elections and stuff.”

Smith continued, “The People’s National Movement, the party that I am from and I am proud to be a part of, we recently under Dr (Keith) Rowley, the Prime Minister, made major changes towards the one man one vote (system). It is the more democratic, transparent way. I as minister don’t want to get heavily involved with the running of the NGOs. But again, we are working together in a partnership, where we (are) funding and giving advice and our job is to look over sport in T&T.”

Asked if state enterprises namely the National Gas Company of T&T and the National Lotteries Control Board should provide financial assistance to the TTCB which was reported to have a structure that was undemocratic, the minister did not respond directly.

“I think the Cricket Board knows T&T is watching. I am happy that the board is having this dialogue. It shows maturity. As a minister of sport, I think that the democracy and the democratic process of the constitution with regard to the elections have to be ventilated and looked at. In its current stage, there are some issues, but again, let them talk it out. I agree that changes need to be made in terms of it being more transparent.”

No official from the ministry of sport attended Saturday’s AGM said Smith.

Not even in an observer capacity, he declared. In his view, the ministry of sports had become too involved in the day-to-day operations of NSOs.

“The accounts department (is) getting quotes for trips and cutting cheques! They (are) not doing the ministry’s work anymore. They (are) doing NSO work. The ministry’s staff need to focus on the ministry, so we could better understand and be more efficient,” he said.

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National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have been urged to support the 2017 World Games in a letter sent by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

Set-up in 1981, the World Games is a quadrennial event for sports and disciplines not on the Olympic programme, with the International World Games Association (IWGA) currently consisting of 37 International Federations, some of which also govern disciplines showcased at the Olympics.

Historically, relations between the body and the IOC have not always been completely harmonious, but they have been increasingly united in recent years as the IOC seek to embrace new sports into the Olympic fold.

Bach's letter, delivered as all 206 NOCs arrive here for the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly on Thursday and Friday (October 29 and 30), is the latest indication of this.

“The IWGA and the World Games event play important roles in the framework of the Olympic Movement," he wrote, before encouraging NOCs to participate in 2017's event in Wroclaw, Poland, scheduled for July 20 to 30.

All constituent Federations must also be affiliated to SportAccord, but the IWGA took the side of the IOC in this year's dispute between Bach and former SportAccord President, Marius Vizer.

They even granted permission for members to withdraw their membership of SportAccord in light of "exceptional circumstances".

Vizer, who later resigned, had made a speech which was critical of Bach, prompting various bodies to withdraw from the International Federations' union in protest.

In August, IWGA President José Perurena, who also heads the International Canoe Federation, became the second recipient of the IOC's new age limit exceptions, introduced as part of the Agenda 2020 reform process, with the Spaniard being granted an extension of his membership for a maximum of four years, despite reaching the age limit of 70.

A maximum of five exemptions can be given at one time.

Perurena, due to present to the NOCs here during the General Assembly on the World Games, was full of praise for Bach's stance.

“Close cooperation with the IOC and the NOCs is essential to take our event up to the next step," he said.

"We are grateful for Thomas Bach’s endorsement of The World Games 2017.

"I agree with his assessment: the ninth edition of our event in Cali in Colombia was an outstanding success, not least thanks to the support of the NOCs.

“In 2017, we aim for nothing less than the best World Games ever, and one of the stepping stones to help us reach this goal is close cooperation with NOCs.”

Wroclaw was awarded the Games in 2012, beating off opposition from Hungary's capital Budapest, which has now entered the race to host the 2024 Olympics.

Twenty-seven sports are set to be contested: air sports, archery, beach handball, billiards, boules sport, bowling, canoeing, dance sport, finswimming, fistball, floorball, flying disc, gymnastics, ju jitsu, karate, korfball, lacrosse, lifesaving, muay thai, orienteering, powerlifting, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, sumo wrestling, tug of war and water ski and wakeboarding.

A total of 98 countries participated at Cali 2013, with the 2021 edition having already been awarded to Birmingham, Alabama.

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San Diego has been formally approved as host of the first Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) World Beach Games here today.

The decision was made following an ANOC Events Working Group and Executive Council meeting here this week, with the decision unanimously approved by acclamation from representatives of 204 National Olympic Committees.

In a video-message played after the announcement, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the city "was very excited for the opportunity to host the inaugural event.

"Thank you for the opportunity," he added.

The Bid Committee will be led by local businessman and politician Vincent E. Mudd, who was joined by 1983 world silver medal winning triple jumper, Willie Banks.

“I am absolutely stoked at this opportunity,” Mudd said.

“We are the beach, we live the beach.

"It’s part of our culture.”

The Games is expected to feature between 20 and 22 sports, with Esports among those included as well as skateboarding, surfing and wall climbing.

Others expected to be held includes basketball 3x3, BMX, flying disc, jet ski, karate, marathon swimming, stand-up-paddle racing, triathlon, wakeboarding, water polo, windsurfing and beach versions of athletics, handball, tennis, badminton, volleyball and wrestling.

But full confirmation is yet to be given with more discussions to take place as to the exact programme.

Other sports such as rowing are still keen to be added.

Competion for 17 sports will take place on Mission Beach, a community built on a sandbar between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay.

Four other sports will be held on Broadway Pier Venue in the downtown part of the city.

It should take place from September 29 to October 9 in 2017, soon after the International Olympic Committee Session in which fellow Californian city Los Angeles is vying to be awarded the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

The announcement was preceded by a lengthy presentation by Sheikh Ahmad about the philosophy behind the Games,  as well as by George Taylor, President of ANOC partner Sports Art Plus.

The Beach Games was originally launched as a joint project between ANOC and SportAccord in October 2013, but has been increasingly seen as a personal priority of ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah.

The idea came out of the success of the Asian Beach Games, the continental event first held in Bali, Indonesia in 2008.

But relations between the two bodies deteriorated earlier this year when former SportAccord President Marius Vizer awarded Sochi the inaugural edition without participation from ANOC,  although the Russian coastal resort withdrew soon ahead of Vizer's resignation.

ANOC are now taking sole control of the event, which is called the ANOC World Beach Games rather than just the World Beach Games due to SportAccord having trademarked the latter name.

“This is an historic moment for ANOC and the NOC family," said Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah today.

"The ANOC World Beach Games has been a key priority for ANOC for nearly two years and today we took a step closer to making our vision a reality.

“We were very impressed by the plan that San Diego put forward.

"As part of the process that selected San Diego, a report from Dow Jones Sport Intelligence was commissioned.

"This enabled us to independently research and verify important event related criteria for the ANOC World Beach Games.

"We have worked closely with industry experts to devise an innovative concept which will blend sport, culture and entertainment and we believe that San Diego is the perfect city to deliver our vision."

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