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Melissa Joseph, 20, is keen on bringing glory to Trinidad and Tobago at the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships and 2016 Olympics.

Joseph, is a US-based, American born, WTF Global Licensed Taekwondo athlete, born to TT parents.

She represented the USA, competing at an International level, but has switched allegiances to Trinidad and Tobago.

Joseph is a multiple international taekwondo medallist and has performed at the top “G” ranked status tournaments.

She has displayed resounding ambition and talent, exemplifying a serious nature regarding her career. Such testament to her diversity is that Joseph is a former Miss Horizonte Pageant (representing Trinidad and Tobago) third runner-up in 2012.

She has been selected by the Trinidad and Tobago Taekwondo Association to represent the national team, with two main goals — the 2015 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Chelybinsk, Russia from May 12-18, as well as the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. These games are the dual pinnacle in the world for taekwondo.

Joseph is currently a medical student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, so between studies, charity work and professional competition, her goals are lofty but she believes they are attainable because of her ambitious nature.

Training out of two taekwondo training bases in Orlando and Tampa, Florida, Joseph is intent on pursuing excellence. Persons interested in funding Joseph’s quest for these Games can go to http://www.gofundme.com/r63bq5g. Joseph can be contacted via her fan club email at mjtkdintlmedalist@yahoo.com.

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The Secretary General of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), Mrs. Annette Knott, is representing the National Olympic Committee at the 13^th International Session for Directors of National Olympic Academies (NOA) in Olympia, Greece. The main subject of the programme is the Olympic Values with a special focus on the “The Value of Excellence as an Educational Tool”.

The Session began with the opening ceremony on Sunday 3rd May which followed with a lecture by Mr. Conrado Durantez (ESP), President of the Paniberican Association of Olympic Academies, President of the National Olympic Academy of Spain, on the subject: “The Role of the IOA in the spread of the Olympic Ideal”.

A key moment at the opening ceremony was the laying of the wreath at the stele of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, renovator of the modern Olympic Games. His heart is buried at this memorial at the Olympic Academy.

Also attending from the Caribbean is Dave Farmer Director of NOA (Barbados), Curtis Smith NOA Member (Barbados), Alfred Emmanuel, Secretary General of St. Lucia Olympic Committee and President of NOA (St. Lucia) and Keith Joseph, Secretary General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee and President of NOA (St. Vincent and the Grenadines).

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s female beach volleyball players advanced to the second round of regional qualifying for the Olympic Games in impressive fashion Friday at Ocho Rios Beach, Jamaica. After getting a bye in the first round of the CAZOVA (Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association) tournament, the No. 2 seeds brushed aside Haiti 2-0 to secure one of the six places in the second of four rounds of qualifying in the NORCECA (North, Central America and the Caribbean) region. Apphia Glasgow and La Teisha Joseph, quarterfinalists in the opening leg of the NORCECA Tour last weekend in Cayman Islands, got the ball rolling with a 21-12, 21-17 triumph over Djoulissa Marthe and Solaida Pierre. And then Elki Philip and Shenelle Gordon completed the job by whipping Caroline Graham and Graziella Chery 21-11, 21-17. Haiti had beaten Bahamas 2-0 in the first round and the other three first-round winners were also beaten in the second when they came up against seeded countries. Curacao cruised past Martinque, but then went under by the same score line against Barbados, while Jamaica were 2-0 winners over Guadeloupe, 2-0 winners over Aruba earlier in the day. And after a 2-0 triumph over the United States Virgin Islands, Suriname were edged by Cayman Islands. Haiti, Guadeloupe, Curacao and Suriname battled yesterday to determine the two countries to move into the second round of regional qualifying alongside Barbados, Cayman Islands, Jamaica and T&T. The top six CAZOVA teams will battle against the top six in the ECVA (Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association) in the second round on a date and at the venue to be determined.  Champions will be crowned in this weekend’s tournament this afternoon after semifinals in the morning. T&T were scheduled to face Cayman Islands yesterday for a place in the last four. The opening round of CAZOVA men’s qualifying will take place in Trinidad at Saith Park, Chaguanas, from Friday until Sunday.

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Ria Ramnarine Graduates with Honours Distinction from the International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program

The International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program (ICECP) honored its class of 2015 in a ceremony held at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The seventh edition of the ICECP – an intensive coaching education program developed by the United States Olympic Committee, the University of Delaware and the IOC – included 33 coaches representing five continents, 33 countries and 14 sports.

Among the 33 coaches, were former World Champion boxer Ria Ramanrine and founder of the ‘Boxing Beyond the Ring’ programme. The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee congratulates Ria for achieving Honours Distinction from the ICECP programme.

“It was a life changing experience,” said Ria Ramnarine. “The ICECP programme enabled me to grow and develop as a coach and an individual. Working on my project, demanded both time and focus which was a little bit nerve wrecking. However, the experience served as an encouragement to move forward. I would like to thank Mr. Lewis, ICECP and Olympic Solidarity for providing me with this amazing opportunity. Many thanks to the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development; Ramsingh's Sports World, CSF Couriers, Bharrath Ramoutar and all those who contributed to my success in one way or the other."

In her advice to future coaches from Trinidad and Tobago who may be afforded the opportunity, “They need to dedicate 7 months towards the programme. Implementing the project takes a lot of time and requires starting your project as soon as you get back home and building a good team. In closing, she leaves these three words “Go For It!”

In the final module, participants presented the projects they completed over the course of the program – which focused on improving coaching infrastructure in their home countries. Ria’s project was the ‘Beyond the Ring’ programme which was aimed at increasing female participation in boxing. The programme extends beyond the sport of boxing to help empower women and girls through self defense and health and fitness.

The 2014-15 program included coaches from American Samoa, Austria, Antigua and Barbuda, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, India, Jordan, Latvia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Serbia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, United States and Uganda. For more information on the ICECP, visit http://www.udel.edu/icecp.

ABOUT ICECP A program of the United States Olympic Committee, the University of Delaware and the International Olympic Committee, the International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program aims at assisting national-level coaches in developing proficiency in the areas of sport sciences, talent identification, athlete development, safe sport, coaching education, coaching management and grass roots sport development. The intended outcome is for ICECP participants to return to their countries and serve as coaches within their respective sports, while becoming foundation builders for future coaches and athletes, and spreading Olympic spirit.

22 Sport Administrators complete the TTOC Sport Administration Course

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee’s Sport Administrators Course concluded the 22^nd class with the handing over of certificates to twenty-two participants. Yesterday, the course concluded with a lecture on Pathway Development by Mr. Gabre Mctair.

The modules in the course included: Roles and Structure of the IOC, Ethics in Sport and Fair play, Communication, Governance in Sport, Roles and Responsibilities, Constitution, Strategic Planning, Financial Management and Budgeting, Public Relations, Event Management, Sport Medicine, Marketing, Development Pathway and Sponsorship.

Congratulations to the participants of the ­22^nd cohort of the Sport Administration Course:

Adaffi Edwards, Chanelle Young, Kern George, Chevon Le Gendre, Rheeza Grant, Abby Blackman, Nolan Tash, Marsha Bhawanie, Johnnie Gonzales, Mujaahid Khan, Timothée Maloney, Cindy Martin Faustin, Keron Maynard, Delana Mitchell, Orlando Pyle, Yasin Siddiq Ramsingh, Clive Ramsingh, Sheldon Sandiford, Collin Changa, Paula Drakes, Abigail, Harewood, and Lisa Yearwood.

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee recently held its Annual General Meeting 2015 on April 28th at Olympic House, Port of Spain.  TTOC President, Mr. Brian Lewis used the occasion to remind member affiliates to remain passionate about the goals of the Olympic Movement, to use sport to educate and serve young people. These ideals are as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago.

Lewis also reiterated the TTOC's focus on helping the nation's athletes achieve 10 Gold Medals by 2024, and highlighted the TTOC’s three strategic pillars of Good Governance, Athlete Centred and Market Driven.  The TTOC continues to promote the adoption of good governance and ethics across the country’s Olympic and Commonwealth Sport Movement through Olympic Education which includes the Sport Administrators Course and the Advanced Sport Management Course.

At the meeting members were also able to receive, consider and approve the 2014 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements by the TTOC.

Donations to the Athlete Welfare Fund can be made at Scotia Bank Account #171188

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FOR THE first time in Trinidad and Tobago cycling history, the globally hunted prize of International Cycling Union (UCI) points will be up for grabs at this year’s edition of the National Elite, Junior and Masters Championships which pedals off at the Arima Velodrome from 7 pm today.

All contested events scheduled over the three-day meet have been officially sanctioned and accredited by the UCI and will also serve as trials for forthcoming tournaments such as the Pan American Games (May 10-26) in Toronto, Canada; Elite Pan American Championships (September) and the inaugural Caribbean Track Championships (May 2016).

Local riders have now been presented with a golden opportunity to amass UCI points right here on home soil, as previously compared to travelling to distant countries in an effort to enhance their qualification process. Cyclists will receive valuable UCI points towards their overall UCI ranking and towards their World Cup and Olympic qualification.

And returning once more to defend his coveted Match Sprint title is Olympian Njisane Phillip (Rigtech Sonics), who is already in the country preparing for this weekend’s races. He is again expected to square-off against locally-based sprinters Quincy Alexander, Justin Roberts (both of Team DPS) and club-mate Keron Bramble in the pace-filled sprint events.

Meanwhile, last year’s Junior Caribbean Road and Time Trial champion Akil Campbell (Rigtech Sonics) will be making his senior national debut in multiple endurance events. The youngster has proved to be a reckoning force on the senior circuit since his introduction in January and is deeply motivated to succeed against the division’s big guns such as Varun Maharajh (Rigtech Sonics), Jovian Gomez, Jude Codrington (both of Team DPS) and Gevan Samuel (The Braves). Speaking with the road racer yesterday, Campbell revealed that training at the senior level is indeed a challenge. “The senior and elite level is tough, but for National Championships so far, training has been good and I want to go out there and do my best for my club and myself,” said the budding cyclist. “Training has been difficult especially leading up to this year’s Nationals. I would like to qualify for the Pan Am Games and have set myself some required times that must be achieved in specific events to ensure qualification. I will be competing in the Omnium, Scratch Races, Keirin, Points Race and Pursuit.”

Additionally, Pan American golden girls Kollyn St George (Breakaway) and Keiana Lester (Bike Smith) will square-off against each other after the pair proudly represented the red, white and black at the just concluded Junior Pan Ams in Aguascalientes, Mexico, two weeks ago. Pan Am debutants and eventual medallists Sei Daniel and Tyler Cole will also be in action along the Arima track as they also warm-up for a hectic competitive season ahead.

Speaking with Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation (TTCF) president Robert Farrier yesterday, he also reiterated the importance of the 2015 tourney and explained that the structure of this year’s event has been aligned with those of other world renowned UCI-sanctioned events. “The structure for Nationals this year will be held in sessions,” Farrier noted. “We’ll have one session on Friday night, and a morning and evening session on Saturday and Sunday respectively. We have chosen to design the event in this way because all UCI-rated meets are conducted in this manner. We are also asking all fans of the sport to come out and support our riders because they will be looking to scorching the Arima track in sight of improved times, UCI points and Pan American qualification.”

Admission for the National Cycling Championships at the Arima Velodrome is free on all three nights.

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